Professional collaboration, an integral part of the middle school concept, is a prerequisite for effective interdisciplinary instruction. When teachers have the opportunity to collaborate during the school day, they...

Teacher collaboration has been a common element of middle grades initiatives for years, typically one or more of these three organizational models: common planning time, professional learning communities, and critical...

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...

Not long ago, I was fortunate to spend some time with a group of very dedicated middle grades educators at the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Summer Educators Institute. As the week progressed, we...

Interdisciplinary teams with common planning time have been a hallmark of the middle school organizational structure since the 1960s, yet research on the effective use of common planning time is limited. This study...