There's an alarming gap between middle school students' ability to read words and their ability to comprehend texts across various disciplines, according to "Adolescent Readers in Middle School," a white paper from...

For decades we’ve heard why Johnny can’t read, write, or do simple math. Whenever there is a crisis in American education, we tend to rally the troops to make drastic changes so Johnny can finally learn...

I can’t claim to be a major history buff, nor can I recite all of the major battles of the European Campaign in World War II. But I have learned one important lesson from war movies such as Saving Private Ryan...

According to the National Association of Health Education Centers, the chief stressor for students ages 9-13 is school. No middle grades educator is surprised by this, given the factors involved in a student's school...

I began coaching when I was still in high school—training classmates for their respective sports, coaching at summer camp, and working with kids in the neighborhood. Fortunately, I had some great role models...

When I walk, I frequently forget to look down. My eyes scan trees and the sky for signs that nature is still talking to me through its elaborate language. This tendency to look up can be a hazardous habit for a number...

Kudzu is a vine that was imported to the United States from Asia many years ago, and it remains a steady feature of the southern landscape today. It was brought to our shores because people were drawn to its broad,...

Literacy initiatives have led to a steady increase in fourth grade reading scores since 1999, but according to research, the literacy levels of 13- and 17-year-olds have remained static for almost 40 years. Why do...

While looking at the night sky one evening, I saw a starry man looking down at me. Orion, with his familiar belt of stars, and his arms and legs outstretched in the darkness, hovered above me just beyond the urban...

Multi-talented artist Mark Ballard writes a column for the Macon, Georgia Telegraph. His writings are always meaningful, but one column last year really hit home with me, for it presented beautifully a truth that is...