Turning Points Chapter 1

Chapter 1 discussed the Turning Points model that was proposed about ten years ago. While structural changes from the original model seem to have had an incredible impact on student performance, it is clear that little changes have been made to curriculum, assessment, and instruction. In addition, little has changed in addressing the needs in high-poverty areas. On page 6, Jackson and Davis suggest that “the poor quality of middle grades education in America’s cities means that up to half the students in our nation’s largest cities are unable to make a successful transition to high school”. This is quite a stunning statistic, and something that stood out to me in this chapter. If students are unable to make a successful transition into high school their drive to move onto higher education may be diminished. This statistic also stood out to me because I became invested in working with students transitioning into high school last semester during student teaching. It was apparent that some students seemed to be more socially prepared for high school, but not as academically prepared, and visa versa. Another thing that struck me was that a core value of the Turning Points model is equity for outcomes for every student. This means that teachers must have high expectations for all students from all backgrounds. I think that this is a very tricky issue for most teachers because it seems easy to get caught up in trying to assume who will succeed in your classroom and who will not. I also think it is difficult to change your mindset when you having categorizing students in this way. However, I do agree that this must be done in order for every single student has the opportunity and the support they need to succeed.