I began my tenure as principal at West Rowan Middle School in the Rowan-Salisbury School District in July 2015. As a newly hired principal, I maintain a keen focus on the school goals in our school improvement plan...

Some students come to class ready to engage and offer their voice, but others wish to go unnoticed and remain silent observers to the educational scene. The following is an assortment of creative writing, image...

There is truth to the old adage "what is tested, is taught," particularly in the past several years of assessment mania. The question we need to be asking ourselves, though, is what "test" are we preparing our...

Think back to the last time you took a road trip. As the driver, you might have used a GPS or map to help you navigate, or even asked advice from your passenger. But ultimately, as the driver, you made the final...

Common Core State Standards require that students read at complex levels. Guiding students through these increasingly complex materials can be daunting for teachers of mixed ability students, special education...

To produce the level of competency in our students that not only allows them to succeed individually but spurs them to be contributing members of society, we must develop our students' gifts and talents to their...

Accountability is a powerful motivator in business and in education. As a teacher who often is in contact with my students' parents, I have always believed that accountability encourages parents to become more...

As middle level teacher educators, one of our primary goals is to prepare teacher candidates to understand and value the essential attributes and the 16 characteristics of middle grades education as described by...

The term "middle school" is an unassuming part of the vernacular of our educational system. During the past 50 years, middle schools have come to represent what is now the typical organization of schools for grades...

If a pill could improve your child's self-esteem, memory, attention span, standardized test scores, and ability to problem solve, would you rush to the store and buy it? If it did not need a prescription, was free,...