Cross Case Features: Context

Baker Middle School: School Context

Baker Middle School is located in the heart of a small town. As part of the Baker Regional School District, the middle school serves students from nearby towns. All together, the middle school enrolls approximately 600 students spanning grades six through eight.

Baker has a stable, positive school climate. The district and the school both have low teacher turnover rates. Many of the teachers possess graduate degrees. Teachers describe the school (and district) as an excellent place to work and the school’s leadership as strong and supportive.

Students at Baker Middle School have some significant opportunities to learn about Asia. The study of ancient cultures, especially the Chinese culture, is a core part of the sixth-grade social studies curriculum. The enrichment coordinator often makes connections with Asia-related guest speakers and performers, and arranges field trips to museums, theaters, and other events. For example, all sixth-grade students in the school attended a traditional Chinese dance performance in the school gymnasium.

Middle school teachers at the Baker work in collaborative grade-level teams to plan curriculum and share best practices. There are two teams per grade. The teachers in each team share a common planning time and meet at least once weekly to discuss common learning goals and activities to integrate various themes, curriculum strands, and activities across the curriculum.

Each team has its own “culture,” a working style largely dependent upon the team members’ teaching styles. Since the school lets each team set its own goals for the school year, the level of integration across subject areas varies from team to team. For example, some sixth-grade teams have begun to weave Asian studies into many subject areas across the curriculum.Conversely, some teams have resisted efforts to integrate Asian curriculum due to individual teachers’ preferences or the lack of a full-time social studies teacher on the team.