Data use is considered a key lever in school improvement processes, but the punitive pressure of high-stakes accountability can influence whether or not data use is enacted in ways which facilitate improvement. School leaders must learn to respond to high-stakes accountability in ways which lead teachers to feel safe, efficacious, and agentic with…

This study aimed to determine the degree of practicing authentic leadership among public-school leaders from teachers' viewpoint while also revealing whether statistically significant differences exist between the respondents' means of the degree of authentic leadership practice due to number of years of service, specialization, and/or scholastic…

This case study followed the implementation of the co-principal leadership model in a K-8 school district for three years. A district superintendent implemented the co-principal model to (1) resolve issues around merging existing schools with well-established principals; (2) provide leadership stability and succession planning; and (3) serve as a…

Ask a room full of sixth and seventh graders at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School in St. George, UT, to name their favorite part of the day and the answer is, in unison, always the same: REAL (respect, explore, achieve, lead) Time. This 35-minute block embedded into the school's schedule three days each week provides immediate, specific…

Survey forms about teacher and administrator certification were mailed to each state to chronicle the history of special certification requirements to teach or administer at the middle level. Thirty-three states are currently offering specific middle-level teacher certification. Ten states report middle-level principal certification, with most of…

Presents strategies for middle level principals to strengthen their instructional program. Includes suggestions for creating a climate receptive to change by raising staff awareness of their own learning style diversity; modeling values through using instructional tools such as Bloom's Taxonomy in interaction with staff; and using stories,…

When ranking Carnegie Corporation's 8 recommendations in "Turning Points," 34 principals of exemplary middle schools rated ensuring success for all students as most important, followed by creating a community for learning, empowering teachers and administrators, teaching a core of common knowledge, preparing teachers, reengaging…

Describes a Prescriptive Discipline Plan developed by teachers at a Florida middle school. The plan featured three offense categories: minor infractions handled by teachers, intermediate offenses (cheating, disrespect, and insubordination) handled by administrators, and serious offenses (fighting, assault, sexual misconduct) invoking automatic…

At the middle school level, school climate, curriculum, instructional strategies, and the availability of positive adult role models all affect student performance. This study sought to determine student perceptions of discipline effectiveness, teaching strategies, and school climate. Early adolescents (N=220) between the ages of 11 and 16 in 20…

Helping urban principals and schools work effectively requires analyzing the urban school context. Ways in which schools can serve the poor are detailed in this study. The research employed three separate approaches: use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to identify the primary concerns of residents from three economically depressed…

Examined types of work completed by teachers on middle school interdisciplinary teams nationwide. Data from a sample of 159 teachers on 40 teams and their 40 principals indicated no significant differences between teachers' and administrators' perceptions on degree of teacher participation but revealed significant differences within 10 measured…

Middle-level instructional teams promote feelings of belonging and enhance student academic and social growth, teacher job satisfaction, mission clarity, and instructional program strength. A survey of Ohio middle-school teachers and principals disclosed four components promoting successful team development: including all participants in teamwork…

As shown by a survey of three middle-level assistant principals, student discipline consumes an inordinate amount of attention. Also, participants did not see their position as an avenue to help youngsters. Since school administration duties should be shared, assistant principals must shed their "noneducational,""daily operations…

Summarizes a survey of 300 middle school principals about their characteristics and their views about the important components of middle schools. (JM)

Responding to the needs of estranged youth, a group of Benjamin Tasker Middle School teachers created the Thoughtful Pedagogy Model. The program allows adolescents to reconstruct images of the adult world through self-exploration; participate in field trips, assembly programs, and adult/adolescent bonding activities; and experience the love and…