Middle School

Education news, analysis, and opinion about schools typically serving 6th to 8th grades and the students who attend them
Illustration of woman walking into clouds.
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School & District Management What This Principal Learned the First Year on the Job
Despite experience as an assistant principal, Katherine Holden found there was still a learning curve when she took the top school job.
Denisa R. Superville, June 16, 2023
6 min read
Teacher at a desk helping an elementary girl with her work.
E+/Getty
Student Achievement This School Bet on High-Dosage Tutoring. It’s Working
Here's how the school, which drew on student input to shape its program, solved thorny issues like class size and scheduling.
Denisa R. Superville, June 12, 2023
6 min read
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Los estudiantes toman el autobús a casa desde la escuela secundaria Russellville en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project Este Distrito Está Teniendo Éxito con Estudiantes de Inglés. ¿Puede Mantener su Impulso?
Logros del sistema escolar de Alabama se ven amenazados por financiación limitada, necesidades no atendidas y política estatal moribunda.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
14 min read
A seventh grade student reads a book in the library at Sutton Middle School in Atlanta on Feb. 12, 2020.
A seventh grade student reads a book in the library at Sutton Middle School in Atlanta on Feb. 12, 2020.
Allison Shelley for EDUimages
Reading & Literacy Why One State Extended Reading Supports Through Middle School
Virginia will now require schools to offer dedicated support for struggling readers through 8th grade.
Sarah Schwartz, April 7, 2023
5 min read
Screen Shot 2023 03 28 at 12.12.44 PM
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Student Well-Being Opinion Middle School Students Face a Trifecta of Challenges. Here's How to Help
Adolescents, often desperately, want to fit into their social groups, and that can sometimes prove harmful.
Dustin Bindreiff, April 2, 2023
5 min read
Diverse group of teenagers studying together in library
SDI Productions/E+
Curriculum Adolescents Need SEL That's Designed for Them. Here's What That Looks Like
Social-emotional learning is too often neglected at the middle and high school levels.
Arianna Prothero, February 23, 2023
5 min read
Student Well-Being Video Teachers, Try This: Give Middle School Girls a Space Where They Feel Like They Belong
A teacher created a club for her middle school girls that doesn’t require special skills or money to join, but where they can all fit in.
Lauren Santucci, February 16, 2023
5:53
Photo of shadow of children holding hands.
iStock / Getty
Equity & Diversity This Principal Uses Her Experience as the Child of Farmworkers to Support Students
Raquel Martinez, a middle school principal in Washington state, ensures parents and students know their culture and language are valued.
Denisa R. Superville, February 8, 2023
6 min read
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project After Early Success With English Learners, Can a District Keep Its Momentum?
The Alabama school system's gains are threatened by time-limited funding, unaddressed needs at the secondary level, and moribund state policy.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2023
11 min read
Dressed in her shoulder pads and jersey, 8th grader Julie Michael, 13, holds her flute before playing the national anthem with the marching band at Seven Springs Middle School in New Port Richey, Fla.
Trumpet player Blake Gifford, 12, at right, rehearses with the horn section in the band room on March 8, 2017, at Lakeside Middle School in Millville, N.J.
Ben Fogletto/The Press of Atlantic City via AP
Student Well-Being What the Research Says How a School District Used Music Teaching to Keep Students Connected
A wider variety of music programs may help students feel more connected to school, new research suggests.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 25, 2023
3 min read
Stephanie Miller-Henderson, 42, looks at 11-year-old Christopher Lockhart’s laptop while teaching a sixth grade class how their grades are calculated during a Success Bound lesson at John M. Smyth School on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022 in Chicago, Ill. Success Bound aims to teach middle school students skills they will need in high school and beyond.
School counselor Stephanie Miller-Henderson looks at 11-year-old Christopher Lockhart’s laptop while teaching a 6th grade lesson on calculating grades at John M. Smyth School on Dec. 12 in Chicago.
Taylor Glascock for Education Week
Student Well-Being 'Future Selves' and Helping Others: What Motivates Students to Engage in School
Getting middle schoolers invested in their academic futures is a perennial challenge for educators. But it’s more complex now.
Sarah Schwartz, December 28, 2022
6 min read
English-Language Learners Video From Afghanistan to Austin, One Refugee Student’s Experience
After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Austin's school district received 319 refugee students. Here, one middle schooler's experience.
Lauren Santucci, December 1, 2022
4:32
A student gives middle school principal Felipé Jackson a hug in the cafeteria.
A student gives middle school principal Felipé Jackson a hug in the cafeteria at Bear Creek Middle School in Fairburn, Ga.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
School & District Management Middle School Is Tough, But These Principals Like It Best of All
Middle school is a roller coaster for principals leading kids still finding their footing academically, emotionally, and socially.
Denisa R. Superville, November 11, 2022
8 min read
Seventh grader Camdyn Fields and principal Felipé Jackson shoot basketballs in the principal's office. Fields won a bet about a football game with Jackson and got to order Chick-Fil-A and hangout in his office during lunch.
Seventh grader Camdyn Fields and principal Felipé Jackson shoot basketballs in the principal's office. Fields won a bet about a football game with Jackson and got to order Chick-Fil-A and hangout in his office during lunch.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
School & District Management How to Survive—and Thrive—As a Middle School Principal
Middle school leadership requires a well of empathy and patience. Veterans share tips for leaders in this crucial transition period.
Denisa R. Superville, November 11, 2022
7 min read