Rediscovering the middle school mission

Middle schools were designed to promote exploration in the curriculum in a way that is appropriate for young adolescents. However, this vision has not been fully embraced, and many middle schools still function as junior versions of high school. Gary Weilbacher explores the history of the middle school movement and describes how the interdisciplinary approaches to curriculum found in the STEM, STEAM, and STREAM movements offer an opportunity for middle schools to recover their original vision. In such schools, teachers would work in interdisciplinary teams to develop curricula that enable students to seek answers to questions that they consider important