Chapter Two - Turning Points 2000: A Design for Improving Middle Grades Education

Chapter Two - Turning Points 2000: A Design for Improving Middle Grades Education
A.
Chapter Two focuses on the 5 “vital” changes in the Turning Points 2000: creating a main goal, reordering the list, exchanged the word ‘core’ for an alternate definition, added an instructional point, and combined families and communities. In general, there are no excuses for the original Turning Points. This new and improved list has been created for the changing times and changing needs of students. The chapter reinforces the idea that these “designs” are not necessarily in order and are all heavily interconnected in ways that will blow your mind. This system is not just “stuff [that] affects all this other stuff”. They caution that half-assing an implementation of this “system” will not likely benefit your school. Instead, you must be dedicated to putting the system in place properly, working together and constantly strive for better results, and above all, to focus on “every” child for the success of every child.
R.
So far so good. The actual points seem valid, the evidence is there, the authors are optimistic. I still don’t quite understand how this “stuff” affects that “stuff,” but I’m sure it’s coming. At this point, (haha, get it? point, like turning point) I really just want to know how everything works. I’ve got my essential questions and my standards, and they all seem sound, but now I really need to know the teaching and learning sequence before I give anything the green light. I recognize a few “designs” from my own middle school days, such as the team teachers and small communities. I’m interested to know how these authors are going to turn something as general as “provide a safe and healthy school environment” into something tangible that I’ll be able to implement in my own workplace.