Kappan

As a mother and grandmother, I’ve long known that middle school can be challenging in many ways. But as a math educator at the high school and college level, it’s only recently become clear to me just how difficult those years are for kids academically—particularly in math. With glaring headlines and bad news at every turn, it’s a problem we can no longer afford to ignore.

Q: “I’ve been teaching for a long time. My middle school students seem particularly rambunctious as we near the end of the school year. Do you have any quick tips to help keep them engaged and not disruptive as we get closer to the end of the year? Thank you in advance.” A: The end of the year hits middle school students hard.

Q: As I’m waiting for my community to vote on the budget and worrying about funding for next year, I am struggling with what to prioritize if programs need to be cut. How can we make these kinds of decisions when all our programs and faculty are vital to the success of our students?” Signed, A concerned superintendent A: No one likes having to make these kinds of decisions, so I can empathize with the agony this must be creating for you.

At a Glance The percentage of Americans who can speak a second language is small in comparison to European nations. Many high school foreign-language classes focus on grammar, rather than conversation. Natural language development begins with spoken language before proceeding to written language and instruction in grammar. By focusing on conversation, high school foreign-language classes would enable more students to become fluent in a second language.

At a Glance Improving teacher retention is not simply doing the opposite of what causes attrition. Teacher embeddedness is a useful theory for thinking about supporting novice and experienced teachers — and for improving retention. In schools with higher-than-average novice science teacher retention, many of the reasons teachers stay are replicable and actionable at the school level.

At a Glance Interviews with teachers during the first five years of their careers revealed certain common challenges. The BOOST framework enables leaders to give new teachers the support they need. The five elements of the BOOST framework are: Backup systems that give new teachers and their mentors time to meet together during the school day. Ongoing instructional coaching that helps new teachers build effective practices from the beginning.

At a Glance Talladega County Schools in Alabama has identified teacher leaders known as Experts Down the Hall who help lead innovation across the district. One teacher leader from each school is invited to join with teacher leaders from other schools for professional development related to an innovative classroom practice. As part of a two-year program, these Experts Down the Hall receive training and plan professional development for colleagues at their school.

At a Glance The role of the assistant principal is complex and often underappreciated, despite their importance in shaping school culture. Three common leadership models — collaborative, reactive, and defender — tend to characterize the work of the assistant principal. Research has shown that collaborative approaches, in which assistant principals work alongside the principal, have significant benefits for the AP and the school as a whole.

In just about any context, the notion of leadership roles for teachers gains easy support. Yet the concept has been slow to take hold “in either a strategic or a systematic way,” Celine Coggins and Kate McGovern write in their 2014 Kappan article. “For teacher leadership to have staying power, it must prove itself to be genuinely influential — to matter more than other strategies for improving schools,” they argue.

At a Glance Jason Collar and Sabina Giakoumis are among the teachers at the Anaheim Union High School District who have been leading innovation efforts alongside their students. As district superintendent, Mike Matsuda developed a culture that encouraged innovation by focusing on what teachers and students do together. The architecture for transforming schools relies on giving teachers sufficient time to learn from each other and experiment.