For the life of me, I cannot remember having a significant interaction in middle school with my peers who had disabilities. I'm not a particularly forgetful person; I have many memories from my small town middle...

Exclusion, discrimination, bullying—all are in the headlines on a daily basis, but change is ahead. It is time for an inclusion revolution, and our middle level students can help lead the way by becoming part of...

There is growing research demonstrating that students perform better academically, socially, and emotionally when they are meaningfully engaged, contributing members of a school with a positive, caring, equitable...

Co-teaching can be compared to preparing a savory meal for others. Every meal has some basic components: a chef who prepares it, ingredients, preparation time, and delivery. What makes the meal delicious, and not a...

For middle school students, each day is stacked with challenges—from dealing with physical and emotional development to navigating friendships and social situations, all while transitioning from elementary...

In my first years as a special education teacher, I taught a sixth grade student with Down Syndrome to tie her shoes. When her parent came to pick her up one afternoon, the student and I shared the good news. The...

Thinking about career and college readiness for a sixth grader is a little too soon for some teachers and parents. As a parent, I felt hard-pressed to decide the future for my son when he entered the middle grades. He...

Every day, millions of 10- to 15-year-old students walk through the doors of their middle schools with anticipation and great hopes for their future. Some will fall into leadership positions, but something so...

When the phone rings in the middle of summer and you see your principal’s number coming across the screen, you can’t help but wonder, “What did I do?” A few years ago, when I answered such a...

Over the last several decades, discussion regarding the most appropriate methods for educating children with disabilities has abounded (Itkonen, 2007). The term inclusion arose as a result of this discussion, but,...