Comments about MiddleWeb
and the MiddleWeb Listservs

COMMENTS ABOUT OUR WEBSITE

We've received hundreds of positive comments about the MiddleWeb site and our weekly e-newsletters. Here's a small sampling.

Wow! I just received my first Middleweb mailing! It is the most comprehensive item of its sort that I have ever received! Thank you for all of your hard work in creating it. [Teacher]

Our state is finding that middle school reform is our biggest problem, and my schools are clamoring for good resources for reform. One district just asked for the best books for middle school study groups, and also some materials that would benefit the administrators. Your information was right on time. [State Department of Education leader]

This web site is awesome!!! I am a middle school literature teacher and this has really helped me especially the section about rubrics. Please send me your newsletter as I am very interested.

Writing the diary was one of the most important professional development activities I've participated in during my career as a leader. I think it's all about being a reflective practitioner. The fact that one reflects in a fishbowl with the possibility and reality of thoughtful feedback makes it even more effective as a learning activity. [MiddleWeb diarist Chris Toy, principal of Freeport (ME) Middle School.]

I checked out your general website yesterday and I found it rich with information and resources. I will definitely pass the word on to some of my colleagues, so you may end up with a Miami contingent. [From a member of the National School Reform Faculty]

Thanks, again, for providing the terrific news service. I'm sure you're aware that we have seen local news stories on your site and decided to contact the folks involved so we could retell the story for a national audience of educators. [Education editor]

Once again, I need to say thank you for the excellent articles. The articles on classroom rules and how to get to know your students will be helpful to me in working the teachers on staff. [Principal]

I have enjoyed reading different threads on the Middle Web listserve discussions and all the newsletter updates I've received since I signed up. There are so many articles and links to check out I have to be selective even though I'd like to read them all. You do such a great job with this - I just can't imagine losing funding such that this terrific resource for so many in the teaching profession wouldn't be continued. [Education consultant]

I'd like you to know how much Northern Arizona University appreciates the work you do for junior high teachers on your web site. Thank you! [Ann H. Coker, M.Ed., Local Area Coordinator]

Just so you know, I've gotten a lot of great input from this discussion forum. I haven't had the time to pitch in very much, but I have enjoyed being able to go into my classes full of teacher candidates and tell them that yes, real teachers ARE implementing successful readers' and writers' workshops, and that yes, there ARE places out there where teachers can go with their ongoing questions and collaborate to find answers. Thanks! [Stacy Kula, Covina CA, writing about MiddleWeb's Reading Workshop project]

The online Reading Workshop Project hit a critical need for middle school language arts teachers in my district. A writing workshop project would help meet a similar need. By all means, let's "do" the writing workshop. Among Middlewebbers, Juli and the others who shared their ideas had a tremendous impact on our classrooms. Thank you all. [Little Rock AR staff developer]

I think having a year-long discussion of writing workshops is an awesome idea!! I am currently in the process of making a notebook from this yearıs Reading Workshop discussion that can be used by other staff members. There are so many great strategies that I need to share them. [Vermont teacher]

Thanks for the terrific Of Particular Interest articles list! I just sent a link to my new middle school principal (our last one died in February). The title, "Pulling Out Negativity By Its Roots" got my attention and I know that school culture is close to his heart, too. What a great list.

MiddleWeb has been an incredible help to me as I look for resources for Middle Ground. [Pat George, editor of NMSA's magazine]

You are doing an amazing service here. [Sage Ouchark, School Improvement Specialist, Arkansas Department of Education]

I am an education writer for the Pittsburgh Council on Public Education (and a public school parent) and I check Middleweb frequently when I am working on articles. I find it to be an excellent resource on standards-based reform. I hope it can continue indefinitely. [Faith Schantz, Director of Publications, Pittsburgh Council on Public Education]

Our Clearinghouse gets requests for such a wide variety of topics we are pushed to stay on top, if not ahead, of the hot issues. That is why we find your links so useful. Just keep them coming. [Jane Beach, Parents for Public Schools, Jackson, Mississippi]

I've been negligent in telling you how much I look forward to the MiddleWeb postings. A recent posting contained four sites I can't live without. My "bookmarks" section on my browser is unbelievable. It's crowded, but filled with wonderful things! [Eighth grade science teacher]

I think your communications are great! I have told so many of my colleagues about you. Middleweb is like my own professional clipping service! What luxury. Thanks. You folks do a great job. [Middle school principal]

I am the administrator for The Pew Network for Standards-Based Reform. I look through the Middle Grades News and the Articles of Particular Interest. Whenever I see an article that I think would be of interest to members of our group, I forward it on. I find it to a very thorough and valuable service. I wish it weren't confined just to middle schools. [Ralph Levine, Stanford University]

I appreciate your timely articles on the middle level! You spend time searching for appropriate articles, which I don't have time to do! I see your service as the "reader's digest" for middle level principals. Keep up the good work you do! [Gary Callison, Principal Foothills Middle School, Wenatchee WA]

I have found some wonderful information that I intend to share with my staff. I especially found the studies done in Maryland to be useful. Most of the information is only a page or two long, and can be attached to our weekly newsletter, providing some thought provoking ideas. Thank you for providing this site! [Bonnie Barker, Principal, Buena Vista Middle School, Salinas, California]

This is a very useful resource for me and the middle school program I work with. Much of the information applies directly to my school district, Milwaukee Public Schools, and the teacher certification program I work in. The teachers involved in the program are first-year internship teachers teaching at the middle school level. Much of the information I receive through the Articles of Interest are shared with the teachers to help them in their classrooms and with their certification courses, and used to help us develop our program. [Mary E. Staten, Curriculum and Professional Developer, Milwaukee Public Schools]

I really enjoy the weekly updates. When I find something of interest for myself, I check it out. If I find something of interest for someone else, I make sure they get a copy. I appreciate your efforts because, like most teachers, I am extremely busy. I want to keep up with the latest news in middle level education, but I don't have time to search the web looking for worthwhile articles to read. Through your emails I can quickly find information I need today or tomorrow. [7th grade language arts teacher, Donnellson, Iowa]

I make daily use of the materials on your Web site. The site provides a very time-efficient way for me to stay on top of things. I especially like the reports of evaluation and research results. What I would like to see more of are tool kits that parents and community organizers could use to assess their schools' infrastructures for quality teaching and learning and progress toward standards. [We directed him to sources available at MiddleWeb]

Do I enjoy your articles?? As a curriculum and instructional supervisor for our middle school, I read the articles that fit my school's interests or needs and then forward particular materials to specific groups of teachers. (Just read the article on "Petals Around the Rose" about math inquiry and problem solving -- and distributed to all of our math teachers!) YES, I appreciate your service and look forward to receiving each newsletter!!! Thank you so very much. [Sybl Fleming, Montgomery KY schools]

This site is terrific. I am principal of the only Coalition of Essential Schools school (K-8) in Oregon. We are learning-community centered and always focusing on the students and their connections.

I believe [the Of Particular Interest newsletter] is a concise synopsis of important middle school issues and topics. I especially like the abstracts. These are well written summaries of topics that link us to additional resources should we desire additional information. In a world of information overload its nice to be able to go directly to topics that are consistent with our needs. Thanks. [Judy L. Wald, Ph.D., Research Analyst, American Institutes for Research]

I'm a middle school principal and I really enjoy the updates. I feel like I'm "in the know" with the timely information you make available. I've had more than one occasion to inform my superiors of recent events, research, etc.

I look forward to getting the articles of particular interest each week. As a Language Arts Coordinator, I am constantly searching for ways to help teachers improve their effectiveness. This service is invaluable. You save me hours of research and help me provide excellent resources for teachers. Thanks!

I wanted to take the time to thank you for this valuable service. The news updates are amazingly useful to me. They provide a valuable education and really respect my need to have info pushed at me. [Jim Forde, Champion Middle School Partnership]

Just a note to thank you for the wonderful resources that you provide to us through this service. I share these across the Little Rock School District to assist our efforts to improve middle level education. I include key articles in our weekly instructional and curriculum publication, Learning Links, which is distributed to all departments and schools. We have found this to be an effective way to distribute information on best practices to principals, teachers and administrators. [Linda Young Austin, Director of Planning and Development]

I love your online newsletter. Your topics are timely, and I really feel that you are at the epicenter of change for middle schools. I am interested in sites and research dealing with philosophy, curriculum revision to adapt to standards, and stories about middle school foreign language teachers. [Jan S. Molinaro, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL]

Thank you for the wonderful Ten Great Websites that was published on MiddleWeb. I do a resource update each grading period for my 288 partner schools. I would like to liberally share your work with the partners. [Barbara Hunter-Cox, Foundation for the Mid South]

The site is awesome. I am a new administrator. As the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction, I welcome the challenge of preparing material and agendas for our redesign of the middle and high school. I truly appreciate the information provided by Middleweb. I was able to research block scheduling, advisories, and teaming, and learn the pros and cons of each. This information supported me in guiding the staff to make necessary decisions about whether or not to embark upon this endeavor in our first year of redesign. This site keeps me informed and current. It is motivational in that I constantly find myself going beyond what is offered, expanding upon ideas to discover new information. Some people go to happy hour on Fridays. I go to Middleweb. [Carolyn Gear, Roosevelt School District, NY]

I continue to read every issue carefully and to follow up on many of the articles. I also share many of the articles with others at PSA, so your "reach" at PSA is much greater than just me. Thank you for your work. [Elizabeth Reisner, President, Policy Studies Associates, Inc.]

I find MiddleWeb extremely useful in locating information for science and math teachers. [Debra Shapiro, Associate Editor, National Science Teachers Association]

These articles, and the entire website, is one of the most useful things I have found for educators - both K-12 and teacher education. I forward these e-mails to all teacher preparation faculty, and they use them in their classes. Our students also use them to help fulfill the technology components of each of their classes. Please keep up the great work! And thank your funders for their foresight and insight into what is needed. [Ruth Ash, Dean, College of Education, Samford University, Birmingham, AL. (Samford was among the first four winners of the US Department of Education's outstanding teacher education award)]

I just wanted to say that the "Of Particular Interest" email newsletter has to be some of the most inspiring material that I have read. I look forward to every listing and I am able to share the information with the other teachers in my school. Thank you for this very crucial newsletter. [Richard Neefe, William E. Waters Middle School, Portsmouth VA]

ALSO SEE: Three letters about MiddleWeb

ALSO SEE: Comments about our listserv discussion