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...

What do you remember from your middle school or junior high days? Your test scores? Your grades? Probably not. You are more likely to remember special occasions and events that made a particularly positive...

With budget cuts right and left—many aimed at special education—it’s likely that regular education teachers are or soon will be the only instructors for students with learning disabilities. In fact, the 26th...

Imagine, if you will. . . It is the first week of a new school year, and a group of about 50 middle school teachers is lingering around the library having coffee and catching up after summer vacation. The principal...