Scaling Within Rather Than Scaling Up: Implications from Students' Experiences in Reforming Urban Middle Schools

This article uses urban middle school student's interviews to describe the instructional differences they faced each day and the effects of these differences on what they learned. Data from a cohort of nearly 200 students over two years revealed common definitions of how they wanted their teachers to act and the kinds of classroom activities they wanted to be engaged in. But more important, their observations revealed stark differences in their actual experiences. Too few students experienced the quality instruction they desired. Students praised teachers who were willing to help, were strict but nice, and were able to explain. They also wanted instructional settings where they were challenged by meaningful projects and experiments, worked more interdependently with their peers, and combined work with fun. We conclude from these student observations that reform efforts will be more successful in settings that nurture, maintain, and reinforce classrooms like those so aptly described by students and promote the spread of these classrooms by taking advantage of the talents of exemplary staff within buildings (i.e., “scaling within”).