Middle Level Leader - A Year in Professional Development
June 2012
It’s June and time to reflect on the past school year and consider changes for next year. If you missed out on any recent issues of Middle Level Leader, this is a good opportunity to read (or reread) articles you may have overlooked.
We are taking a summer hiatus and will be back in September. If you have comments or suggestions for future topics, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me.
Patti Kinney
Associate Director, Middle Level Services
Top Articles of 2011-12
Trust: The Key to Leading a Learning School (September)
By Nancy Doda
Trust is a condition that must exist if the school is to move forward. In this article, Nancy Doda builds the case that trust between and among the adults and students in a school provides the foundation necessary for learning. (Continue reading)
Be Careful With the Praise: Teaching Kids to Be Successful (October)
By Debbie Silver
Popular speaker and author Debbie Silver discusses attribution theory and how we as educators often unknowingly impact what a student believes is the cause of their successes or failures. Discover how your words may be impacting your students (and colleagues) as you acknowledge them for their accomplishments or chide them for their failures. (Continue reading)
Build the Capacity of Your Staff to Lead Within Your School Community! (November)
By Jill Spencer
Author and presenter Jill Spencer discusses how school leaders can build the leadership capacity of others. She includes a wealth of ideas and online resources that will prove invaluable to the busy middle level leader. (Continue reading)
The Unique GIFTS of Extraordinary Middle Level Leaders (December)
By Neila Connors
Schools of excellence require excellence in leadership; therefore, improving the quality of our leadership must be a high priority on our daily “to-do” lists. In this article, author, speaker, and consultant Neila Connors shares what it takes for middle level leaders to move from ordinary to extraordinary. (Continue reading)
Five Lessons Learned on Digital Citizenship (January)
By Edward Brazee
Whether we like it or not, we live in a digital age and helping our students learn how to use digital media in a safe, responsible, and ethical manner is critical. Author Ed Brazee shares insights and lessons learned from working with students in digital citizenship workshops. (Continue reading)
Assessment (February)
By Betty Edwards
Today, effective assessment practices call for both summative and formative assessments, or in the words of assessment expert Rick Stiggins, the assessment “of learning” or “for learning.” This article shares the practices along this continuum of assessment and challenges middle level leaders to develop a balanced approach as to how, why, and when we assess student learning. (Continue reading)
Expectations! Do You Have Them? Do Students Get Them? (March)
By Kim Campbell
In this article, Kim Campbell, an author and middle school teacher at Hopkins West Junior High in Minnetonka, MN, shares practical advice, strategies, and tools that school leaders can use to help teachers develop a classroom environment that does indeed “convey high expectations, support, and mutual respect.” (Continue reading)
Stop, Think, and Prepare to Act (April)
By John Lounsbury
This article thoughtfully examines the history and implications of the narrowing of the middle school curriculum. Anyone familiar with the history of middle level education in America will recognize the name of author John Lounsbury. He began his career in education over 50 years ago and is considered to be one of the fathers of the middle school movement. All middle level leaders should read the article carefully and use his thoughts and opinions as a starting point to “formulate your own beliefs and positions” on middle level education. (Continue reading)
Building Capacity for Creative Thinking (May)
By Rick Wormeli
Thinking creatively means taking risks, facing our doubts, challenging ourselves to do something new, or looking for a new route to an old destination. To provide the best possible education for our students, school leaders need to both model creative thinking and encourage it in our colleagues. Here, author and speaker Rick Wormeli shares ways to build the capacity for creative thinking in others. (Continue reading)
Tech Topics
Here’s the rundown of topics covered in this year’s technology column written by Dedra Stafford.
News and Notes
A Story for Sharing
It has been said that crustaceans are at their most vulnerable when they are between shells. In a moving story, Cecily Anderson, an eighth-grade English teacher at Catonsville Middle School in the Baltimore (MD) County School District, uses this as a metaphor to remind us of the fragile nature of the young adolescents with whom we work. (Continue reading)
Breakthrough Schools Featured in Principal Leadership
The May issue of Principal Leadership shares the stories of the middle level and high schools that were selected as the 2012 MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools. Read the stories of these schools’ successes as they share how they improved student performance by implementing the core areas of the Breaking Ranks Framework: collaborative leadership; personalization; and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Become a Breakthrough School—Apply By June 30
The goal of the MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools program is to identify, recognize, and showcase middle level and high schools that serve large numbers of students living in poverty (more than 40% free and/or reduced lunch) and are high achieving or dramatically improving student achievement. Selected schools receive a $5,000 grant and national recognition. Apply by June 30, 2012.
Workshop: Cultivating Creativity in Teachers
Back for the fourth summer, Rick Wormeli will present a two-day workshop on Cultivating Creativity and the Differentiated Mind-Set in Teachers. The engaging seminar, part of the NASSP summer leadership development seminars, will help school leaders break free of conventional thinking and discover new and fresh ideas to differentiate instruction, especially when teaching 21st century skills. Watch a short video of Rick discussing the content of this event. The interactive, hands-on workshop will take place on June 28 and 29 in Reston, VA. Come and plan to stay for the Fourth of July festivities in Washington, DC.
Summer Leadership Development
In addition to the Rick Wormeli workshop, NASSP will host a series of professional development opportunities this summer that are designed especially for school and district leaders. The June and July seminars in Reston, VA, will cover topics such as creativity, iPad proficiency, leadership and diversity training, and the Common Core State Standards. Register today to take advantage of team and multiple event discounts.
Recognize a Distinguished Middle Level Colleague
The NASSP Gruhn-Long-Melton Award was created in 1983 to recognize “distinguished service and leadership in improving middle level education.” The award was named in honor of Dr. William T. Gruhn, Dr. Forrest E. Long, and George E. Melton—all of whom made significant contributions during their lifetime to the field of middle level education. Applications are due November 15 and we encourage NASSP members to consider nominating a colleague worthy of this award.