Chapter 1: Turning Points: A Decade Later

The section that most jumped out at me was the section about why it is important for students to succeed in middle school. The reason why America’s middle schools should be redesigned is because “every young adolescent truly deserves an equal opportunity to achieve at the very highest level” (pg. 15). I found this statement somewhat obvious and I was shocked that this needed to be stated at all. I do, however, like how this ties into what students overall learn in middle school: social justice and national economic self-interest. It would not be smart to educate adolescents poorly during this time because how can they be expected to move on in a world where higher education is success? I also find it interesting how social justice is important in middle school because that is where you make friends, enemies, and bonds with other human beings.