Leadership

Building Relationships with Students: It Isn’t Just for Teachers

Five principals share three keys to building principal-student relationships The golden rule of middle school: Build relationships with your students. This claim is supported by the Association for Middle Level Education (NMSA, 2010), as they describe a successful middle school as “an inviting, supportive, and safe place” where “human relationships are paramount” (p. 33). Discussions

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Is Your School Schedule Flexible?

Flexible organizational structures place the locus of control in the hands of teachers Early leaders of the middle school concept established the goal of flexible organizational structures. But what is flexibility? The answer might include The utilization of opportunities to make change The absence of rigidity An openness to various ways of implementing decisions, programs,

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Transforming Middle School Practice Through Instructional Technology

Understanding the middle school learner as the basis for implementing a district-wide digital transformation In December 2015, the Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education approved the superintendent’s strategic plan, a broadly ambitious plan that prioritized capital improvements, human resources, and curriculum and instruction. Two key areas in the last category were a focus on middle

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Becoming a Restorative Practices School

How one school created a culture focused on improving student behavior Background For many years educators have used punishment, or fear of punishment, as the primary deterrent to student misconduct. We have tried zero tolerance, excessive use of in-school suspension (ISS) and out of school suspension (OSS), elimination of student privileges, and numerous other consequences

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Diagonal Alignment

A tool to integrate basic skills across the curriculum In working with teachers on integration and differentiation, there are a few obstacles that are prevalent in almost every group. Logistics in implementing this approach in a system that is currently used is a common hurdle. Another hurdle is trying to integrate curriculums to determine what

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