NEWSWATCH:
Stories about middle schools
that are changing for the better
The stories on this page are selected from our weekly news lists. In various ways, they demonstrate how some middle schools are changing through strong leadership, imagination, and will.
If you'd like our help, send us a note.
(This feature began in January 2002.)
06-29-03
Seattle Times
"School Shifts to Teamwork to Advance Its Teaching"
[Teachers in low-performing middle school learn to collaborate.]
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06-19-03
Honolulu Advertiser
"New Focus on Middle Grades"
[Middle school improvement is urgent and possible.]
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06-12-03
Baltimore Sun
"New Guiding Principals Lift Middle School Spirits"
[Two inner-city schools advance under talented leaders.]
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story
04-01-03
Christian Science Monitor
"The Principal Who Knows Their Names"
[7-12 principal succeeds in a tough, urban environment.]
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01-14-03 Idaho Statesman
"Taft Insists Kids Can Learn - And They Do"
[Principal rocked the boat, turned tough school around.]
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"A School Without Grades"
[Pricey K-8 school is project-based & assessment oriented.]
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11-29-02 Providence
(RI) Journal
"Middle School on Upswing in State Test Performance"
[High-achieving school's standards-based curriculum paying off.]
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story
12-04-02 Seattle Times
"Teacher Training Paying Off"
[More black students meet reading standards in Seattle.]
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story
11-26-02 Jamestown
(NY) Post Journal
"Panama Staff To Share Teaching Strategies"
[Eighth-grade team's students shine on NY state math assessments.]
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story
11-07-02 Washington
Post
"School Feels Joys, Pains of Rebirth"
[Principal leads urban D.C. middle school to success.]
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story
10-26-02 Naples (FL)
News
"Three Oaks Middle School Puts Muscle in Reading Program"
[School has six reading teachers who work directly with small groups.]
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"KIPP Looks to Recreate School Success Stories"
[Gap founder boosts commitment to middle-grades reform model.]
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10-02-02 Raleigh News
& Observer
"Creative Minds at Work"
[Teaching the test is out in high-achieving NC school district.]
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story
08-18-02 Washington
Post
"Algebra Poses a Problem of Timing"
[Two high-poverty middle schools, but one pushes algebra.]
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story
**ALSO SEE**
08-19-02 Washington Post
"Algebra=X in One School, Y in Another"
[Middle school math instruction suffers from lack of "consistency."]
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story
05-28-02 Corpus Christi
Caller-Times
"CCISD's Renewed Reading Push Focuses on Literacy"
[Middle schools' commitment to literacy produces big gains.]
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story
"Aim to Leave None Behind"
[Middle school's fast-track reforms yielding results.]
Read story 06-10-02 The Oregonian
"Reinventing the Classroom"
[Looping, multi-age grouping drive "trailblazer" middle school's turnaround.]
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05-26-02 Boston Globe
"Middle of the Debate"
[National group says middle schools need to be - and can be - fixed.]
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story
**ALSO SEE**
05-30-02 Raleigh News & Observer
"Schools to Watch Project Seeks Total Excellence"
[Interview with participant in NC middle schools "to watch" program.]
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story
"Up Close and Personal"
[In Lincoln NE, teachers embrace classroom assessment.]
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05-29-02 Seattle Times
"Bellevue School Earns A for Excellence"
[Blue Ribbon middle school reinvented itself by focusing on reform.]
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story
05-13-02 Los Angeles
Times
"Building a Power Base for Better Education"
[LA campuses adopt Alliance Schools' community partnership approach.]
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story
04-28-02 Baltimore
Sun
"School Offers a Lesson in Suburban Diversity"
[Middle school achieves "amid racial and economic changes."]
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story
"In Place of Bleak Prospects, Teacher Elicits Big Achievements"
[Middle school teacher embraces performance-based learning.]
Read story 04-28-02 Boston Globe
"Success Through Self-Scrutiny"
[Middle school science/math teacher emphasizes student self-assessment.]
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04-07-02 St. Louis
Post Dispatch
"Academy's First Graduates Step from Poverty to Success"
[Middle school makes sure city kids find their college potential.]
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story
"School Board Oks Gifted-Type Classes for All 6th-Graders"
[District wants to place all students in enriched learning environments.]
Read story 04-07-02 New York Times (may require free registration)
"Using Love, and Chess Lessons, to Defy Theories on Race and Test Scores"
[Principal supports teacher quality and belief in student success.]
Read story 04-02-02 New Bedford (MA) Standard-Times
"New Approach Catching On"
[Detracked middle school puts its neck on the line.]
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04-02-02 Washington
Post
"New School Paves Road to Success"
[No good middle schools? Jay Mathews believes he's found a few.]
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story
Winter 2001-02 Challenge
Journal
"Closing the
Achievement Gap: How Schools Are Making It Happen"
[Texas middle
school faces facts, makes changes that get results.]
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12-23-01 Baltimore
Sun
"Scorned School Turns Itself Around"
[Crusading principal, staff, students revive Annapolis Middle School.]
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the story
"Lombard's Youngsters Pushing Their Pencils"
[Intense literacy focus may help transform failing Baltimore middle school.]
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12-17-01 Springfield
(MA) Union News
"Science Lessons Stuff of Everyday"
[Seventh graders no longer ask "Why do we have to know this?".]
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the story
12-13-01 Boston Globe
"School May Change Way It Teaches"
[Junior high will detrack in response to accreditation group concerns.]
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the story
11-28-01 Education
Week
"In San Diego, Principals' Focus Is Teaching and Learning"
[Principals to spend two hours per day in classrooms.]
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the story
11-26-01 Springfield
(MA) Union-News
"West Side Students Learn How They Learn"
[Middle school course helps students explore learning styles.]
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story
10-22-01 Washington
Post
"Enthusiasm Endures As Principal Departs"
[Middle school principal leads in many ways.]
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the story
10-15-01 Denver Post
"School Teaches Outside the Box"
[Expeditionary learning at heart of charter's middle grades program.]
Read
the story
Visit our two-month archive of middle grades news stories from around the USA
