NMSA: This We Believe

If you had an opportunity to read the Saturday edition of the Standard Journal, you may have seen that the Donald H. Eichorn MS in Lewisburg was selected as a Pennsylvania Don Eichorn Schools: Schools to Watch. There were only 14 other schools in Pennsylvania to be selected. During the 2007-08 school year, I was part of a team at Loyalsock Township Middle School which began working on the application process for Schools to Watch. We completed the application for the 2008-09 school year but were not selected. The positive that came out of the experience was that the application process got conversations started between administration, faculty, staff, parents, etc. about what educational opportunities were best and most needed to prepare our students for success.

The NMSA (National Middle School Association) has just released its updated publication of This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. I happen to have the previous edition, so if you would ever want to take a look, stop by and pick it up. In This We Believe, they identify 16 research based characteristics of effective middle schools, which are broken into three key areas: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments; Leadership and Organization; and Culture and Community. These 3 key areas and 16 characteristics are listed below. They come directly from the NMSA website, which you can link to here for more information and resources. As you read through, ask yourself and your colleagues where we fit in at Milton. Identify the areas in which you feel we do well, and identify the areas in which we need to improve. These are the honest conversations we need to have during Team Meetings. Don't forget to click on the post it note to make any comments.  Here are the characteristics:

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments:

• Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them. (Value Young Adolescents)
• Effective middle school educators make a conscious choice to work with young adolescents and advocate for them.  They understand the developmental uniqueness of this age group, the appropriate curriculum, effective learning and assessment strategies, and their importance as models.
• Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. (Active Learning)
• Instructional practices place students at the center of the learning process.  As they develop the ability to hypothesize, to organize information into useful and meaningful constructs, and to grasp long-term cause and effect relationships, students are ready and able to play a major role in their own learning and education.
• Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant. (Challenging Curriculum)
• Curriculum embraces every planned aspect of a school's educational program.  An effective middle school curriculum is distinguished by learning activities that appeal to young adolescents, is exploratory and challenging, and incorporate student generated questions and concerns.
• Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches. (Multiple Learning Approaches)
• Teaching and learning approaches should accommodate the diverse skills, abilities, and prior knowledge of young adolescents, cultivate multiple intelligences, draw upon students' individual learning styles, and utilized digital tools.  When learning experiences capitalize on students' cultural, experiential, and personal backgrounds, new concepts are built on knowledge students already possess.
• Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it. (Varied Assessments)
• Continuous, authentic, and appropriate assessment measures, including both formative and summative ones, provide evidence about every student's learning process.  Such information helps students, teachers, and family members select immediate learning goals and plan further education.

Leadership and Organization:

• A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision. (Shared Vision)
• When a shared vision and mission statement become operational, middle level educators pursue appropriate practices in developing a challenging academic program; they develop criteria to guide decisions and a process to make needed changes.
• Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about this age group, educational research, and best practices. (Committed Leaders)
• Courageous, collaborative middle school leaders understand young adolescents, the society in which they live, and the theory of middle level education.  Such leaders understand the nuances of teaming, student advocacy, exploration, and assessments as components of a larger middle school program.
• Leaders demonstrate courage and collaboration. (Courageous and Collaborative Leaders)
• Leaders understand that successful schools committed to the long-term implementation of the middle school concept must be collaborative enterprises.  The principals, working collaboratively with a leadership team, focus on building a learning community that involves all teachers and places top priority on the education and healthy development of every student, teacher, and staff member.
• Ongoing professional development reflects best educational practices. (Professional Development)
• Professional development is a continuing activity in middle schools where teachers take advantage of every opportunity to work with colleagues to improve the learning experiences for their students.
• Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. (Organizational Structures)
• The ways schools organize teachers and group and schedule students have a significant impact on the learning environment.  Interdisciplinary teams, common planning time, block scheduling, and elimination of tracking are related conditions that contribute to improved achievement.

Culture and Community:

• The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all. (School Environment)
• A successful school for young adolescents is an inviting, supportive, and safe place, a joyful community that promotes in-depth learning and enhances students' physical and emotional well-being.
• Every student's academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. (Adult Advocate)
• Academic success and personal growth increase markedly when young adolescents' affective needs are met.  Each student must have one adult to support that student's academic and personal development.
• Comprehensive guidance and support services meet the needs of young adolescents. (Guidance Services)
• Both teachers and specialized professionals are readily available to offer the assistance many students need in negotiating their lives in and out of school.
• Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies. (Health and Wellness)
• Abundant opportunities are available for students to develop and maintain healthy minds and bodies and to understand their personal growth through health-related programs, policies, and curricula.
• The school actively involves families in the education of their children. (Family Involvement)
• Schools and families must work together to provide the best possible learning for every young adolescent.  Schools take the initiative in involving and educating families.
• The school includes community and business partners. (Community and Business)
• Genuine community involvement is a fundamental component of successful schools for young adolescents.  Such schools seek appropriate partnerships with businesses, social service agencies, and other organizations whose purposes are consistent with the school's mission.