High Expectations In accord with the Association for Middle Level Education's (AMLE) This We Believe tenets (National Middle School Association, 2010), teachers of middle level grades should implement curriculum that...

What is authentic assessment? Authentic assessment is a method for measuring student learning by providing developmentally appropriate, student-centered, active learning strategies that help students develop lifelong...

Today’s students need more than strong academic skills to be successful in the 21st century. To shape their future and the future of our global society, they also need strong leadership skills and a sense...

During a two-year cross-country trip covering 40 states, I crossed paths with several hundred soon-to-be college graduates. I asked each soon-to-be grad about his or her plans after graduation. Keep in mind, these...

We've all heard that teacher adage, "Don't smile before Christmas." How many of you abided by that rule this year, contending that smiling before the winter holidays would somehow make you lose control of your...

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,...

Principals should set a clear policy where bullying is concerned—a zero tolerance policy. They also need to set expectations for teachers and staff members. Many principals employ the "You see it, you own it"...

A professional learning community (PLC) is more than a group of individuals meeting together to read a common book or discuss a relevant issue. According to Huffman and Hipp (2003), PLCs are a way of working; "a...

Assessment is important for middle level teachers and their students. In fact, the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) highlighted curriculum, instruction, and assessment in This We Believe: Keys to...

While observing in several classrooms recently, I noticed teachers who had outstanding lesson plans, but many of their students had other plans—texting, engaging in sidebars, talking out, and engaging in other...