U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva met with teachers Wednesday at Somerton Middle School to discuss a bill he has introduced in Congress called the Success in the Middle Act that would help students in middle schools.
Grijalva said the legislation aims to improve the education of middle grade students in low-performing schools, to make them better prepared for high school and beyond.
“When we talk about education, we usually talk about the little ones and high school," Grijalva told KAWC. "Then that whole group in the middle, junior high, middle school, kind of gets left out of the conversation.”
The bill would provide grants to states and districts to create comprehensive school-wide action plans and develop a stronger curriculum.
Somerton Middle School Principal Jose Moreno said he supports the bill because he says middle school students are wired differently and are more emotional than other grade levels.
“With a bill like this, I think that gives us the opportunity to start focusing our attention, our energy and efforts to not just educate the kids but understand the children holistically and better support their needs," Moreno said.
