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Strategies for Building Culture through Expectations in Middle Schools

Middle school is a time for new beginnings. Every year offers a chance to renew and refresh, but also to onboard the next set of young adolescents in thoughtful ways. Young adolescents thrive in environments where they feel seen, safe, and supported. They also crave predictability and want to know that their voices matter. When

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AMLE Announces Christopher Woodside as New CEO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2026 Columbus, OH – The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) announced today that Christopher Woodside has been selected as its new CEO, effective later this month. Chris brings almost two decades of experience serving nonprofit organizations, most recently as Executive Director of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

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Advisory as the Heart of School

In a large public middle school in Edina, Minnesota, students and educators transformed their advisory program. South View Middle School is a 2023 AMLE School of Distinction. No longer an afterthought for teachers or simply a time for homework, advisory at South View Middle School became a center of belonging, and one of the most

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Building Revolutionary Educators and the Power of Mentoring

In a recent episode of AMLE’s Middle School Walk and Talk podcast, Dr. Rashad Anderson, professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver, shared insights from his work leading the Call Me MiSTER® Teacher Leadership Program and his research on mentoring, student engagement, and school culture. Anderson’s discussion highlighted both the challenges facing middle school education

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Planning with Purpose: Using AI to Support Culturally Grounded Middle School Instruction

In a recent episode of Middle School Walk and Talk, AMLE hosts Phyllis Fagell and Jessica McGuire spoke with AMLE Rising Star Presenter Adam Whitaker about his work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, English language arts, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Surprisingly, Whitaker began the conversation by clarifying that technology is not his primary passion.

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A Survey of Middle School Student Leadership Programming

How are middle schools developing student leadership today? Who has access to leadership opportunities, and how are students selected? How effective are these programs in building student voice, agency, and collaboration? AMLE sought to better understand the current state of student leadership programming by conducting a survey of its membership in 2026. Survey Overview Respondents:

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Finding Your Voice Between the Echoes: A Student’s Reflection on Middle School

Each year, AMLE’s Middle School Student Sound Off Contest invites students across the world to share creative projects that express what it’s like to be a middle schooler today. The 2025 winner, Brody Cunningham, currently a ninth grader from Georgia, stood out for his powerful narrative that captured both the chaos and the clarity of

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Middle School Career Exploration is Vital to Future Success

When you think “middle school,” odds are that “career exploration” may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But research shows that middle school is the ideal time to expose students to activities designed to help them explore their skills and talents, experiment in potential job roles, and start a plan that can

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High School is Too Late to Start the Career Conversation.

Why Middle School: Challenging an Outdated Paradigm with a New Approach The model has remained steady for decades: wait until kids are juniors or seniors in high school to get them thinking seriously about what education-to-career pathways they may want to pursue after graduation. But let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a high school

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