I'm probably over simplifying, but it seemed like much of the focus of the reading was changing from a 6-3-3 system to a 5-3-4 system of school, the ladder which employs a 'middle school,' the former which employs a 'junior high.' I guess I am not completely privy to what the big difference is. I understand that there is a 'middle level' of human development from childhood to adolescence, but it feels like we're just playing word games - junior high or middle school - to me they are the same thing. I think what is more important was covered in the final chapter for the week, chapter 11.

The chapter ended by saying that the pessimistic view was probably the view of tomorrow, where as the optimistic view could be saved for the day after tomorrow. In other words, there are too many flaws in the system for a ringing endosement now, but we need to be optimistic about the future of middle education and there are promising trends. It seems that most of the problems that the pessimistic writer expressed stemmed from the top-down bureaucratic decision making. The 'No Child Left Behind Act' was mentioned, and it seemed like the systematic testing was at the heart of every faul that was mentioned. I totally agree with this assesment. It seems like the very schools that need extra help arent getting it because they fail to meet bogus criteria from racist, and class prejudiced tests that only recognize the lowest forms of thinking - information regurgitation.

It was funny, the other day I was at work and the radio was on and there was a political add. It was republican attacking Obama, and it was on a primarily black radio station - V100 Jamms. Anyway, it was a black female suggesting that the 'No Child Left Behind Act' was working very well and was helping the black community to get ahead. Just from what is common knowledge about the standardized tests inherent in the 'No Child Left Behind Act' I was actually a little irritated with the glaring contradictions that I felt the add portrayed. I was wondering if anyone eles heard any rediculous adds and what they thought of them.