Chapter 5: John Lounsbury: Using Shadow Studies to Assess Developmental Responsiveness in Middle Level Schools

When we first met John Lounsbury in the early 1980s, we were well aware of his legendary status as a highly respected middle school pioneer and leader. His writings had been invaluable to us in bringing about school improvement in the middle level schools we had worked with in California and Arizona. When, in the late 1980s, we were asked to join John in the coordination of the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ National Study of Grade Eight (Lounsbury & Clark, 1990), we felt most honored. Don would serve as co-director and Sally as a data analyst. During the 18 months we worked on the study with John, we developed a special bond of friendship that would last until his passing in Spring 2020.