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The Choice to Teach Abroad

Teaching overseas offers opportunity, adventure, and professional and personal growth In the summer prior to entering middle school, I dove deep into the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. On page 11, as commander of a spaceship, I chose to put up the energy propulsion shields to try to escape a black hole; miraculously, though the propulsion

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Students Make a Difference: Community Collaboration in Action

Project Based Learning that takes advantage of student voice, choice, and creativity What would middle schoolers call a “Shark Tank” style competition about the national parks? “Park Tank” of course! Last spring, seventh grade students from Hudson Middle School in northeastern Ohio presented their solutions to the invasive species problem at the Cuyahoga Valley National

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Efficient vs. Effective Environments: Testing the Testing Environment

Where students take a test can make a difference in their ability to perform “I didn’t do very well in the library, I was distracted,” one of my sixth grade students told me a few days after completing a math progress monitoring test in the school library. An uncomfortable testing environment can lead to distracted

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Building Bridges to the Past

Oral history project engages students and builds family and community connections Using a microfilm machine for the first time… Watching a local news broadcast from the mid-nineties about the Blizzard of ’93… Holding an authentic newspaper from 1941… Facetiming across the Pacific Ocean, bridging generations, cultures, and language… Visiting the largest library in Pittsburgh to

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10 Life Lessons from a Principal Who Led a Middle School for Four Decades

Michael Gordon ran a middle school for 40 years. That’s right, four DECADES. As principal, he got tough kids to soften and overprotective parents to loosen their grip. Under his watch, troublemakers fell into line and struggling teachers upped their game. As I collect information for my book on parenting middle schoolers, I’ve been talking

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High School is Too Late to Start the Career Conversation.

Why Middle School: Challenging an Outdated Paradigm with a New Approach The model has remained steady for decades: wait until kids are juniors or seniors in high school to get them thinking seriously about what education-to-career pathways they may want to pursue after graduation. But let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a high school

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AMLE Celebrates Inaugural Schools of Distinction

AMLE recognized its inaugural class of Schools of Distinction earlier this month, in conjunction with the organization’s 49th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. The twelve schools were selected for their fervent commitment to implementing the essential attributes and characteristics of successful middle grades schools. In addition to being celebrated during a special awards ceremony, each

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Reimagining School – What should it look like and who is it for?

Cornelius Minor and Kass Minor help #AMLE22 attendees find their bottom lines as educators Cornelius and Kass Minor believe that kids don’t just learn in school. They become. It’s an attitude reflective of what we know about middle grades best practice, making them the perfect keynoters for #AMLE22 and our return to in-person conference. We

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