This is in many ways an extraordinary time for Christian schools. Along with increasing dissatisfaction with public school education, there seems to be a renewed interest in an alternative choice for education. At the same time, parents of students in the Christian schools wonder whether their schools are as excellent and as Christian as they might be. And since there are different ways of defining "excellent" and "Christian," there is room for disagreement.

Over the past five years I have received many requests to speak to teachers' groups, administrators' groups, and parent organizations about schooling for students between the ages of eleven and thirteen. The participants in these meetings have asked: How is a junior high school different from a middle school? What new information do we have concerning how students at this age learn? What should instruction be like for them? What kind of schooling will help them take responsibility for their own learning and take responsibility for the learning and care of those around them?

This book grew out of those discussions and is an attempt to answer questions and provide direction for teachers, administrators, and parents who are planning Christian education for this age group. I expect that there will be disagreements. In fact, I have tried to open the door to some of those disagreements by providing discussion questions after each topic. I hope that out of those discussions will come a clear focus and framework for your school. And I hope that this framework will provide direction for curriculum, instruction, school organization, and discipline.

Many people have helped me complete this work. The principals who wrote chapters six, seven, and eight are people one dares to ask to take on such work because they are so busy completing a great deal of other important work. My colleague Carl Mulder offered valuable comments and questions which helped provide direction. A great many teachers and administrators in Christian schools across North America read the manuscript and were most encouraging. My husband, William Stronks, has been solidly supportive of the project and of my work with the middle schools, in spite of the fact that it often takes me away from home. And Julia and Bill, our children, taught me more about middle school kids than anyone else possibly could. I am grateful to all of these people.

I have never been so excited about Christian education within the Reformed tradition as I am at the present time. But it has never been so difficult to do it well. Society is extremely complicated, and

people are asking harder questions and are expecting a greater variety of outcomes from the schools. My strongest hope for this book is that it will stimulate conversations which will lead to better schools for our middle level children.