Exploratory Classes In High Schools

One of the effects of World War I was that many high school students dropped out in order to work while their fathers were away at war. With the Great Depression, this problem only increased. Schools across the country reacted to this by making lower grades more rigorous, since many students would only obtain an eighth grade education. This junior high system remained in place until around the 1960s, when the Carnegie foundation funded a study that brought about several changes, eventually evolving into the middle school concept. Focusing on a student centered environment, the middle school concept rose to popularity in the 1980s through the early twenty-first century and still remains popular in various forms today. Perhaps the most …show more content…
Since a wide curriculum is prefered over a deep and rigorous one, the natural conclusion is that the school needs to look outside the standard four or five core subjects. Schools look to introductory courses in world languages, computer applications, consumer sciences, and industrial arts. It seems most students are bombarded with the question of what career they are interested in as soon as they enter high school. Exploratory classes might be the last chance some students have to still sample different subjects before having to choose schedules in high school. Although junior high schools could provide exploratory classes, it is especially important to the middle school design. These classes allow time for the teacher teams to meet and plan; therefore, it is not just an extra class that the school provides. It is an integral design of the school …show more content…
Both parents and teachers supported the idea that students between the ages of 10 and 14 aren’t ready for a rigorous curriculum modeled after high schools. Many junior highs were converted to a middle school structure and the student centered focus was adopted. Since that time, the fad like craze of switching to a middle school format has slowed and many middle schools have switched back to junior high schools. Unfortunately this is often due to money. Middle schools cost more to operate than basic high schools because of the exploratory classes, extra-curricular activities, and the teacher team planning time. With schools not being able to afford the truest models of middle schools, what’s left is a hybrid of middle and junior high models being adopted. Student centered education seems to be a great idea, as long as it is