One school’s approach to rethinking advisory From our first days on campus, it was clear that the school had once been committed to an advisory program. There were dusty advisory binders in the corners of classrooms, and many teachers remained passionate about the aims and some features of the program, but it no longer had
Engaging students in shaping school climate improvement pays off There is growing research demonstrating that students perform better academically, socially, and emotionally when they are meaningfully engaged, contributing members of a school with a positive, caring, equitable school climate. As adults, we often think we are the architects of a school’s culture, but we underestimate
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Changes in school or classroom practices unleash a variety of emotions. How can we support each other in the process? The faculty lounge crackles with disagreements about the new grading policies suggested by the standards-based grading committee. The English department debates whether or not grammar proficiency is a requisite for writing proficiency, and whether or
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Watching for even the small details can create a responsive culture that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of students I bet you didn’t know that you signed up to be a triage nurse now did you? Meeting the social, emotional, and academic needs of middle school students is a lot like working the
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National Spread the Word to End the Word Day is March 7, 2018 For middle school students, each day is stacked with challenges—from dealing with physical and emotional development to navigating friendships and social situations, all while transitioning from elementary school in preparation for transition to high school. For students with intellectual disabilities, the challenges
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Four ideas to encourage middle schoolers to choose kindness In recent years, there has been a renewed focus on intentionally fostering kindness and practicing peer respect. We don’t want youth to simply not do the wrong thing, but do what is right instead—treat their peers with respect, compassion, and empathy. To be sure, sometimes educators
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