The transition from middle school to high school brings many changes and challenges for all students. The educational and personal changes that occur during this period of time for students in special education need...

Increased homework demands. Multiple classes with varied grading systems and discrete homework policies. Intensified extracurricular commitments. These are just a few of the ways middle school tests students' ability...

On our pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 campus, the move from our lower school to middle school is a mere eight meters. An 11-year-old can make the trip in about 22 steps. Despite a limited physical distance, the...

Change can be challenging for adolescents, especially given the fact that young people between the ages of 10 and 15 undergo extreme personal developments. Their patterns of thinking, physical maturation, and desire...

What if I told your school administrative team that there is a classroom intervention that does not require substantial increases in staffing, does not require extra funds from the school or district, but still...

One year ago, I was sitting in these bleachers just like you, and just like you, I was excited, worried, sad, happy, terrified and everything in between. Now, I stand here before you, and guess what? I'm okay. These...

Gena was failing most of her sixth grade classes when she decided to stop going to school. Her mother, Sheryl, called me in a panic. I hadn't talked to Sheryl in years, but we'd grown up together, and she knew I was a...

The transition to high school is a vulnerable time. As students navigate a heavier workload and greater independence, they struggle to make the small decisions needed to stay on track, and to know when and how to ask...

"I'm nervous about forgetting my locker combination." "I'm worried about getting lost." "I'm nervous about keeping track of my schedule and having more homework." "What if my child no longer hugs me as she steps off...

On the last day of school for the past six years, after hiking a small mountain near our school in Vermont, we gather in the shade of venerable maples for a final ceremony with the eighth grade class. After each...