This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents

Association for Middle Level Education. This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents. 2010. 66p. ISBN 978-1-56090-232-4.

Over the last forty years, educational research has demonstrated that students in middle school are at a critical juncture in their growth as individuals. As they mature physically, emotionally, psychologically, socially, they also find themselves at the crossroad of an educational system not designed to facilitate their transition from elementary students to high schoolers and beyond. This book seeks to present the sixteen characteristics that enable a middle school to successfully help its students navigate the treacherous but rewarding years that are the middle.

These characteristics are regrouped in three main areas: curriculum, instruction and assessment; leadership and organization; and culture and community. All of these characteristics are necessary for a successful middle school program. This position paper from the Association for Middle Level Education provides educators everywhere with the information needed to transform their middle schools into places where the needs of all students are addressed.