Few of America's thousands of middle schools are engaged in the "focused, demanding work necessary to serve all their students well," says veteran middle school analyst Hayes Mizell of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Too many middle schools believe that learning ceases when hormones rage, and too many focus disproportionately on only a few of adolescents' needs at the expense of rigorous academics. Speaking before a group of civic organizations in New York, Mizell explained "What Parents Need to Know About Middle School Reform" (October 16, 2002). For more on Mizell's middle school musings, see http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=50#1378.
