K-8 provides school choice

More and more, parents are clamoring for choices in public education. The Salt Lake City School District is responding by establishing two K-8 schools at Nibley Park and Whittier elementaries by the fall of 2007.

Here's the beauty of it: Parents who have concerns about mixing children age 5 to 14 don't have to send their children to K-8 schools. They can continue to send their children to elementary school and then intermediate school.

But for those who embark on the K-8 journey, the choice may offer young adolescents more of what they need, a more nurturing elementary school environment — a place where school administrators and teachers know their names, family dynamics and academic histories. These schools tend to have more parental involvement, which means fewer students fall through the cracks.

Many children struggle with the transition between elementary school and junior high. Instead of buckling down on their studies, an inordinate amount of time is spent by students trying to establish themselves in the pecking order. What if students were relieved of that pressure until high school, when they may have better coping skills to handle such a large life change?

Some parents who opposed the K-8 configuration say they don't want older children mixing with younger children because of differences in their development and their interests. This supposes that schools could not segregate older students from younger students through scheduling and physical barriers as needed. But there are also occasions when it is completely appropriate and healthy for older children to mentor younger children. Studies show that K-8 schools tend to be safer than middle schools because the presence of siblings and younger students reduces aggression and disciplinary problems.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of the K-8 configuration is academic achievement. A study of Philadelphia schools found that middle-level students in K-8 schools had higher standardized test scores than their peers in traditional middle schools, particularly in mathematics. The same research found that a higher percentage of students from K-8 schools were admitted to select high schools than middle school-educated peers.

Clearly, research supports the K-8 concept, but parents must decide for themselves what's best for their children. Thanks to the Salt Lake City Board of Education, parents now have another public school option to consider.