Robert Murphy, age 12, of Nashville, Tenn., for his question:
WHEN WAS THE FIRST JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STARTED?
In most 12 year programs of education, the seventh, eighth and ninth grades are called junior high school. Some of the schools include the sixth grade while others do not include the ninth grade.
The junior high school movement started in various parts of the United States in 1910. Today.you'll find them in every state. In some states they are called middle schools.
Some communities, often smaller ones that cannot afford a separate junior high school, have a six year school called a junior senior high school. As a matter of fact, there are about 4,000 junior senior high schools in the United States today. There are about 10,000 junior high schools in this country.
Junior high schools have two main objectives: to provide a program of education that is adapted to the needs and interests of young adolescents between the ages of 11 and 15, and also to provide smooth progress from elementary school to senior high school.
Educators say that a good junior high school program provides many advantages over having the seventh and eighth grades in elementary school. One of the most important points is that it can provide continued instruction in basic skills, often on a more individual basis than is possible in elementary schools.
Junior high also offers beginning courses in music, art, homemaking, industrial arts, speech, science, foreign languages and typing. These courses aid students in selecting major areas of interest for future study.
The school also provides teachers specifically trained to work with young adolescents.
Junior high school also provides an opportunity for extracurricular activities such as team sports and student clubs.
Another advantage is that junior high school gives increased guidance. Each child is assigned to a teacher who helps him with his problems and guides him in selecting subject areas for specialization.
Junior high schools make special curricula available to their students. Unlike most eight year elementary schools, they base their curricula on the special interests and aptitudes of adolescents.
Elective courses provide for individual differences in abilities and interests. Many junior high schools offer remedial work for students who are weak in the basic subjects, such as reading and mathematics.
Educators say that more and more middle schools should be established. They contend that pre adolescents and young adolescents should work, study and play away from the younger elementary school children and the older high school students.