Harmon Middle School - Aurora, OH

Aurora is a residential community located 25 miles southeast of Cleveland and 20 miles northeast of Akron with a population of 15,500. The school district enrolls approximately 3,000 students and is comprised of three elementary schools, Harmon Middle School, and one high school. The parents of Harmon Middle School students are highly educated, professional and supportive of their children and school system; they are an integral part of the success of our school.

Harmon’s emphasis is Professional Learning Communities, Assessment Literacy, 21^st century skills, MAX Teaching, technology and Value-Added designation. We work in the doctrine of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process which has transcended to the students in a culture of learning. Teachers meet regularly as curricular and grade level teams, through Professional Learning Communities, to develop lessons, evaluate student needs and discuss instructional strategies. Student learning is our focus, we are committed to a collaborative process and our results are based on data.

Harmon provides specialized instruction within small groups and inclusion settings; these combined with Targeted Skills Learning (TSL) classes minimize the gap with regular education students. Academic Resource Center (ARC) is provided by teachers to provide small group intervention to all students.

An average of 90% of the student body participates in an after-school activity. Harmon offers foreign languages of Spanish and French, industrial technology, art and wellness. Over half the students in the building participate in orchestra, band or choir.

If leadership can be best defined as getting people to work successfully toward a common goal then we truly are educational leaders.