Middle Level Leader - Fostering Student Success
October 2012
There is no greater reward for teachers than to watch their students effectively describe their learning success and take responsibility for their learning challenges in the presence of those whose opinion of them students care most about. That is what student-led conferencing is all about.
The above statement, written by assessment expert Rick Stiggins, appears in the foreword of Fostering Student Accountability Through Student-Led Conferences that was copublished this week by NASSP and the Association for Middle Level Education. The book provides school leaders with the framework and necessary information to put this process in place at the elementary, middle, or high school levels.
This month’s lead articles are taken from the book and share the stories of two middle level schools that successfully implemented this process shown to increase student accountability, motivation, and parent participation. The first tells of a whole school implementation while the second vignette tells of a team that went it alone.
Patti Kinney
Associate Director, Middle Level Services
Student-Led Conferences in Action: With a Technological Twist
By Jay Clark
Timed parent-teacher conferences, offering rapid-fire feedback were standard at Van Buren Middle School, a small rural school in northwest Ohio. Then, at a state middle level association conference in 2006, some staff members attended a presentation by an urban school that shared their success with student-led conferences. Van Buren’s staff jumped on board. (Continue reading)
Student-Led Conferences in Action: A Team Approach
By Theresa Hinkle
“Why did you give me that grade?”
“I turned that work in!”
“How did I get a C?”
“I just missed a few homework assignments; I can’t believe they counted that much!”
“Susie says she doesn’t have any idea what she could have done to earn a better grade.”
If any of these statements sound familiar, you might be dealing with the same dilemma that the team at John R. Kernodle Middle School faced. For years they wrestled with the question of how an interdisciplinary team could help students acquire the skills and knowledge to take ownership for their learning. In addition, they wanted this process to include giving students the responsibility for both informing parents of progress and setting goals for improvement. (Continue reading)
The Future is Here: Thoughts about School Leadership and Technology
Educational Leadership, Technology, and Mr. T!
By Chris Toy
An opening workshop conversation I often have with school leaders around the world is to share three words of wisdom from a well-known figure—Mr. T. Even people outside the United States recognize the scowling muscular character from “The A Team,” and his signature commentary about his adversaries, “I pity the fool!” delivered in a menacing, rumbling growl. Of course, it’s not this phrase I’m referring to. “Mr. T” is an acronym I use to remind us how to effectively advocate for, support, and sustain the integration of technology and learning in our schools (or any aspect of school effectiveness for that matter). (Continue reading)
Spotlight on Middle Schools
In the spring of 2012, faculty advisers from 300 National Junior Honor Society(NJHS) chapters responded to the annual online survey. Advisers reported a total of 127,247 hours of service completed by their chapter members. This translates into more than 450 hours per chapter and an average of just under 10 hours per student in the 2011-12 school year. In addition, advisers reported raising $312,279 for charitable donations, which averages out to $1,100 per chapter. When we take this type of service activity and consider all of the middle schools in the nation, we can see that middle level students are making a difference for others and ultimately for themselves as well.
Examples of service activities come in every day to the NJHS staff at NASSP:
- NJHS members from Florence (AL) Middle School made 65 gift bags for children in local hospitals last winter. Their generosity helped the young patients cope with being hospitalized during the holidays.
- Chapter members at Cedar Grove Middle School in Supply, NC, collected clothing to restock the school’s clothing closet that provided clothes for their peers and a local family whose house burned down. They also collected more than 1,300 books for the Brunswick County Literacy Council’s Book Share Project.
- Twenty-two members of the Thompson Middle School chapter in Murrieta, CA, participated in the 24-hour Relay for Life for the first time last year. From their pledges and donations and sale of snow cones, the chapter raised more than $3,200 (or nearly $150 per member) and earned second place in the Most Spirit contest during the relay.
- Another California chapter, Sinaloa Middle School in Simi Valley, with more than 118 members held a rummage sale last spring to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. After soliciting donations from the community through some well-publicized promotions, the students raised nearly $1,800. The leftover collections were also donated to local shelters and Goodwill.
- In Lake Katrine, NY, NJHS members at M. Clifford Miller Middle School spent every Wednesday afternoon as “homework helpers” at a local elementary school. Hundreds of younger students benefited from the assistance and mentoring provided by these Honor Society members.
These are just a few of the thousands of chapter service projects being completed by NJHS chapters, student councils, and other groups of students in middle schools every year. They’re learning organizational skills, communication techniques, teamwork, project planning, and more while also developing a strong understanding of the importance of helping others. We applaud these young student leaders for all they are contributing to their schools and communities along with the advisers and principals who support them in their worthwhile efforts.
News & Notes
NASSP at AMLE
Are you attending the national conference of the Association for Middle Level Education in Portland, OR? If so, drop by the NASSP booth to say hi, gather some resources, and attend our sessions. At 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, November 8, Patti Kinney will present “Fostering Student Accountability through Student-Led Conferences” based on her book by the same title. At 2:00 p.m., John Nori, along with middle level MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough School principals, will present “Improving Your School by Focusing on Each Child;” and at 3:45 p.m., John and Patti, along with Laurie Barron, the 2013 Met Life/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year, will present “Building a School Culture for Improvement.”
Upcoming Webinar by the Middle Level Principal of the Year
Laurie Barron, 2013 MetLife/NASSP National Middle School Principal of the Year, will present Transforming School Culture on October 24 at 3:30 p.m. (ET). Selected as a 2011 Met Life-NASSP Breakthrough School, Smokey Road Middle School adheres to the student-centered comprehensive framework for school improvement and reform as outlined in Breaking Ranks. This webinar will focus on how to increase student achievement and foster a culture of continuous improvement by developing significant relationships with students, making classes more relevant, and increasing instructional rigor.
NASSP Conference: Ignite 2013
Plan now for the new NASSP Conference: Ignite 2013, February 28–March 2, at National Harbor, MD (just outside of Washington, DC). Connect with thought leaders in education and peer practitioners to create and implement strategies for success.
2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Do you know a middle level (or high school) student who has demonstrated exemplary community service? If so, encourage him or her to apply for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. This program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with NASSP, recognizes one middle level and one high school student from each state. Each state’s honorees receive $1,000, an expense-paid trip with a parent or guardian to Washington, DC, and much more. For more information and an application go to www.nassp.org/spirit. Deadline to apply is November 6.
Dissertation Competition
If you are a doctoral student who has completed and successfully defended your dissertation between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, consider applying for the NASSP Dr. Ted Sizer Middle Level Dissertation Award (there’s one for high school as well). Winners receive a complimentary one-year NASSP membership, a cash award of $1,000 (members) or $500 (nonmembers), and a commemorative plaque. Candidates must submit a completed application and a dissertation abstract by January 7, 2013.
Share Your Thoughts on Literacy Education
The National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE) is compiling evidence about how educators working in cross-disciplinary teams design and implement plans to support literacy learners in every classroom. By sharing stories, vignettes, and cases from these schools, NCLE will not only make visible teaching and learning practices, it will highlight the organizational conditions and community support that make real progress possible. One of its first action steps is to survey thousands of teachers across the country, so please share this information with the staff at your school. In appreciation, those completing the survey by October 31, 2012, will be entered into a drawing for a $500 Amazon gift card.
Know an Outstanding Middle Level Leader?
NASSP’s Gruhn-Long-Melton Award was created in 1983 and is given to recognize distinguished service and leadership in improving middle level education. The award was named in honor of William T. Gruhn, Forrest E. Long, and George E. Melton—all of whom made significant contributions during their lifetime to the field of middle level education. It is not an annual award but is given only when there is a worthy candidate. Nominations are due November 15, 2012, and we encourage NASSP members to consider nominating a colleague.
Relay for Life—Middle School Version
The Relay Field Day program brings the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the world’s largest movement to end cancer, to middle schools nationwide by engaging middle school students in the fight against cancer through fundraising activities that support cancer programs and services in every community. In addition, it gives students the chance to get out of the classroom and have fun with entertainment and activities that reinforce what they have learned.
Apply for the Schools to Watch State Program
Each year, the National Forum invites state middle level associations, state departments of education, postsecondary institutions, state administrator associations, and other collaborating organizations to join them in expanding the Schools to Watch program. Through this program, they seek to provide state and local leaders in selected states with a unique professional learning opportunity, while at the same time identifying and honoring middle level schools that are on a solid trajectory toward reform. Apply by December 7, 2012.