Educators at Day Creek Intermediate School realize that middle school is a unique moment in students’ academic, social and emotional lives. As Principal David Apodaca notes, “you have to respect the fact that this is a huge transition time in their lives … And if we don’t recognize that and respect that, then academic success… Continue Reading Building Character and Knowledge in Middle School
Barret Traditional Middle School Louisville, KY Advancing Racial Equity Through Culturally Responsive Teaching. Like many schools across the nation, school leaders at Barret Traditional Middle School realized that they faced academic achievement gaps among students by race. With support from their district, and through the work of committed educators willing to address this difficult topic,… Continue Reading Audio: Advancing Racial Equity Through Culturally Responsive Teaching
Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama Supporting Highly Mobile Students at a Department of Defense School. Meeting the academic, social and emotional needs of highly mobile students is a challenge faced by many schools and districts. Teachers and school leaders at Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School in Alabama are… Continue Reading Audio: Supporting Highly Mobile Students at a Department of Defense School
Leadership is one thing. Inspiring, instructional leadership is another. For over 29 years, Principal Landeau has served students in New York City’s public schools in several capacities ranging from teacher assistant to his current position as Master Principal at George J. Ryan Middle School 216. With strong commitments to communication and collaboration and an unending… Continue Reading Dr. Reginald Landeau, Jr., Principal MS 216 George J. Ryan School Fresh Meadows, NY
In order to spread knowledge of innovative and successful school practices, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program profiles a number of schools from each year’s cohort. Stories are added as they are produced. Still Making the Grade showcases the Brooklyn (NY) School for Global Scholars, P.S. 748. Originally designed as a district-based application school for… Continue Reading 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools – Selected Profiles
Riverwatch Middle School (Suwanee, GA). Each school year, the Riverwatch Professional Development Plan supports goals outlined by the School Improvement Plan. The goals are based on a variety of data points, including standardized test scores, College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) ratings, Student Health Surveys, and Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) ratings. From this… Continue Reading Planning Based on Data Points
Doral Academy of Technology (Doral, FL). The seventh grade civics curriculum develops a student’s understanding of the foundations of our constitutional democracy and the fundamental principles and values upon which they were founded. Students participate in a Civic Political Fair, taking surveys to determine political scale awareness. DAT offers elective courses in law studies. Students learn… Continue Reading Mandatory and Elective Courses
When Glenda McFadden began as the principal of the Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School in 2013, she knew that drastic changes were needed to prepare students for new rigors of high school and beyond. Having served the school as a theology and math teacher for fourteen years prior to becoming principal, she recognized the… Continue Reading Glenda McFadden, Principal, Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School – Nashua, NH
The first of four site visit videos of selected 2016 National Blue Ribbon Schools is now live. High Tech Makes Learning Personal illustrates how staff at the Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Deerfield, Illinois meets students “where they are” by giving students access to new technologies and creating a culture of collaboration and experimentation… Continue Reading Site Visit: High Tech Makes Learning Personal
About five years ago, the community of Deerfield, Illinois, came together to anticipate the educational needs of future generations. Alan Shepard Middle School has led the way. First converting the junior high school to the more student-centered middle school model, leaders at Shepard then expanded students’ encore options (as distinct from core—math, ELA, science, and… Continue Reading High Tech Makes Learning Personal