Historical Look at Advisory Research

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), formally The National Middle School Association (NMSA) is a leader in middle-level advocacy and research.  The 2003 position paper, This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents is the result of the growth in researcher’s collective knowledge of how middle school children function.  The first edition of This We Believe was published in 1982.  This We Believe (2003) outlines 14 characteristics of successful middle schools.  The first eight components are rooted in school culture and the remaining six guidelines are program components essential to middle-level education.  NMSA states that, “Each student must have one adult to support that student’s academic and personal development” (NMSA, 2003, p. 16).  The research literature supports a middle school program that places an emphasis on academic success without excluding the developmental needs of the child.  The current reality of high-stakes testing fails to place the same emphasis on the social and emotional needs of young men and women.  This We Believe asserts that advocacy needs to be rooted in the culture of a school system; advisory programs are a part of the advocacy system.

Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century, the follow up to the Carnegie Foundations 1989 report of middle-level reform promotes an advisory program that meets a minimum of three times weekly.  Research in support of the Turning Points recommendations found that, “A significant adult who provides support and direction during difficult times is an important factor in helping students avoid academic failure and a variety of other problems” (Jackson & Davis, 2000, p. 143).  Advisory can also foster character building activities and time for personal goal setting and social development.

New York State, in 2003, adopted the Essential-Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs.  The seven essential elements which include: 1) Philosophy and Mission 2) Educational Program 3) Organizational Structure 4) Classroom Instruction 5) Educational Leadership 6) A Network of Academic and Personal Support and 7) Professional Learning, attempt to create a balance between the academic, social, and emotional needs of the young adolescent.  Element Six recommends explicitly the need for, “An adult mentor in addition to a guidance counselor, either formally through a teacher/student, advisor/advisee program or informally through a school culture of caring in which teachers or other adults assume responsibility for individual students” (New York State Department of Education, 2003, p. 7).  An advisory program allows for an adult to develop an individual relationship with a small group of students.  Effective advisory programs can address the academic and social needs of children through both structured and non-structured activities. 

            According to Galassi and Gulledge (1997), since the advent of middle school, in response to a general dissatisfaction with the junior high school model, advisories have been synonymous with developmentally appropriate middle-level instruction.  Advisory programs address the developmental needs of the child at this rollercoaster time in their development. 

The pioneers in middle school development recognized the importance of advisory programs.  Donald Eichorn identified the need for each student to have, “a close relationship with a member of the adult staff of the school” (Eichorn in Alexander, et al., 1968, p. 57).  The home-base group used to develop a relationship between teacher and student as initial counselor has evolved into the modern day advisory program.  The home-base program addressed individual student goals, including: behavior, academic goals, and school wide events. 

A successful advisory program is an investment in human and time resources.  All players in the school system have a vested interest in the success of an advisory program.  Teachers, in particular, play a most vital role in the strength of an advisory program.  Planning the activities and structure requires, “participation from a number of teachers in each school who commit to becoming knowledgeable about advisory programs and are given time by the school district to read and develop a deep understanding of the reasons behind such a program” (Wilson, 1998, p. 2). 

The middle school organization provides students with “access to at least one adult who knows and cares for him personally, and who is responsible for helping him to deal with the problems of growing up” (Lounsbury & Vars, 1978, p. 41).  Daily advisory period can facilitate the development of a meaningful relationship between teachers and students.  In a study conducted by Johnson (2002) 82 Members of the selected southern state’s middle school association participated is a research study analyzing the degree that characteristics of developmentally responsive middle schools were implemented?   Johnson (2002) found, “the strongest correlation of dependent variables was between climate and adult advocacy.  The presence of nurturing adults in school settings fosters positive school climate” (Johnson, 2002, p. 73).