Service Learning: A Reform Initiative for Middle Level Curriculum.

Abstract

he current reform movement in education began in the 1980s and continues unabated. Comprehensive in scope, affecting all levels of schooling, it has been a singular fixation for educators, parents, and others interested in the quality of students' experiences in schools. Surprisingly, the reform process and the multitude of reports, recommendations, and legislation generated by individuals, commissions, and legislatures have not been translated into actual teaching practices. That is particularly true for middle schools, where a conspicuous gap exists between the existing research and recommendations about the intellectual and emotional needs of young adolescents and the current organization and curriculum of middle schools (Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development 1989). Nevertheless, the reform bandwagon rolls on, and the public continues to castigate our education system for its shortcomings. Overlooked is the basic understanding that for reform to be successful, it must begin with the process of how teachers teach and how students learn (Brooks and Brooks 1993). Central to the process in middle school are informed teachers who understand adolescents and are willing to devote energy and time to their growth and development. Middle school teachers must realize that the curriculum needs to be