Every educational meal we create must begin with a redefinition of achievement. We typically equate achievement with grades, testing, and GPA scores. However, we know that if we place too much focus on numerical or...

We've checked out Red. We've reviewed Relationships. Now we've got "Re-." True, it's a prefix and not, therefore, a complete word in itself ... but work with me because young adolescents need the "Re-". And, in...

We know that young people have a lot to gain from volunteering. But a recent study suggests the personal benefits are greater than you might expect. Prudential Financial's Spirit of Community Initiative surveyed...

Time to bask in the warm, effervescent glow of another R word as it pertains to middle level education! Here it is: Relationship. It is almost impossible to think about middle level education and not simultaneously...

What songs come to mind when you think about early adolescence? What artists helped you navigate those often turbulent waters and also helped you celebrate the wonderful wilds of the middle grades? Who's on that...

So here's the first R word that's on my mind for the world of Middle Level Education. Red. Recently, I’ve taken to wearing red shoes—to AMLE, at workshops, to schools, at the AMLE annual conference. With...

Check out this global podcast from Singapore! I had the honor of talking with the outstanding David Wilcox from Adolescent Success, Australia's leading organization dedicated to supporting young adolescents and...

One of my first mini-lessons in my fifth-grade language arts and social studies class is to have my students write a six-word memoir. For this assignment, students have only six words to share the most important thing...

Every one and every school has a story made up of ingredients. When I taught Basic English in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I often had food on my mind. It wasn't because I was particularly hungry or because I was creating...

The conflict between doing more with less and doing what is right and just for young adolescents is a difficult one for middle level educators to confront. For example, when district leaders determine that program...