1. About AMLE
Who we are:
The Association for Middle Level Education is the leading organization advancing the education of all students ages 10 to 15, helping them succeed as learners and make positive contributions to their communities and to the world. AMLE has more than 40,000 members worldwide.
We help middle grades educators Reach every student , Grow professionally, and Create great schools!

2. About AMLE Resources & Research
• AMLE Website • AMLE Magazine • AMLE Newsletter • AMLE Webinars • Research • Books

3. What is AMLE? Professional Learning Services & Events
• On-site consultants
• Institute for Middle Level Leadership
• Middle level workshops
• Annual Conference for Middle Level Education

5. Follow AMLE

6. Delivering the middle level message through a presentation is a highly effective means of developing public understanding and support. Some key things to consider in preparation:
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare.
Review and adapt the slides as needed - This is a draft presentation, meant to be used as a base
Consider hot buttons or terms that will create problems with your audience and avoid or eliminate them
Add current and/or personal examples
Eliminate jargon
2. Know your audience!
Every audience is different (school board, parents, business leaders, educators, policymakers)
Allow for and prepare for Q&A
See if colleagues have spoken to the group and find out about their experiences
3. Check out the location
Are you speaking in a very large room or a very confined room?
Are you at a podium or head table or are you free to move about?
Do you have the equipment you need (projector, microphone, flipchart)?
Can the lights be dimmed?
Arrive early to check on everything
4. Humor is good.
But be careful not to overdo it.

7. History of This We Believe
1982
1995
2003
2010
For many years we really didn’t understand the needs of students aged 10-15—also called young adolescents—and how schools should meet their needs. Everyone knew of elementary schools as places where education first begins and children learn basic socialization skills as well as how to read and write. Americans also understood the high school as the institution from which students graduate and move on to higher education or into the job market.
Yet, there are those years in between, where kids are no longer children but they really aren’t ready for high school either. Historically, we felt if they weren’t ready for high school, let’s put them in a junior high school and make it look pretty much like a high school. After all, the students will be there soon anyway. That approach, however, was far from what young adolescents really needed.  
More than 40 years ago, some educators began what has become known as the middle level movement, an educational program designed to be responsive to the developmental needs of 10- to 15-year-olds. As we learned more about intellectual and emotional development of 10- to 15- year-olds, we discovered what middle level schools should be.  
We must understand that the middle level concept is not a place. Nor is it a grade structure. Instead it’s a program designed to be developmentally responsive to the needs of young adolescents. Many people and organizations have described the middle level concept, including the Association for Middle Level Education, previously known as National Middle School Association, which published its first position paper, This We Believe in 1982, then republished in 1995, 2003, and 2010.

9. Unique Characteristics
Unique Characteristics in five major areas
Supported by an effective middle grades program
Physical
Cognitive-Intellectual
Moral
Social-Emotional
Psychological
Unique Characteristics in five major areas
Supported by an effective middle grades program
Physical
Cognitive-Intellectual
Moral
Social-Emotional
Psychological

10. AMLE asserts that in order to become a fully functioning, self-actualized person, each young adolescent should:
Become actively aware of the larger world, asking significant and relevant questions for which there may not be one right answer.
Be able to think rationally and critically and express thoughts clearly.
Read deeply to independently gather, assess, and interpret information from a variety of sources and read avidly for enjoyment and lifelong learning.
Young adolescents are constantly changing and growing to maturity at different times and rates. This is easy to see sometimes with outer appearances such as the male student who is boyish and short in stature next to a boy who is 6 feet tall with facial hair. Know that these kids are also changing at different times and rates in terms of social, emotional, and intellectual growth, traits not identifiable with visual cues.
As a result of this diversity of students, designing middle grades programs on the assumption that every student is ready to master specific concepts at precisely the same time is unrealistic and counterproductive.
We can design programs that offer abundant, meaningful opportunities to grow and develop an appetite for learning.
To become a fully functioning self-actualized person, each young adolescent should
Become aware of the larger world
Be able to think rationally, be critical thinkers, and be able to communicate clearly
Read! Deep reading, varied reading, read for enjoyment and for learning

11. Be a good steward of the earth and its resources and a wise and intelligent consumer of the wide array of goods and services available.
Understand and use the major concepts, skills, and tools of inquiry in the areas of health and physical education, language arts, world languages, mathematics, natural and physical sciences, and the social sciences.
Explore music, art, and careers and recognize their importance to personal growth and learning.
Young adolescents must
Use digital tools as part of the learning process, helping them to explore topics and communicate with others/
Be a good steward of the earth. Be aware of the value and importance of conserving resources and making wise choices as a consumer.
Have a solid understanding of the core subjects, world languages, and health/phys ed so they can be well-rounded and knowledgeable citizens.

12. Develop his or her strengths, particular skills, talents, or interests and have an emerging understanding of his or her potential contributions to society and to personal fulfillment.
Recognize, articulate, and make responsible, ethical decisions concerning his or her own health and wellness needs.
Respect and value the diverse ways people look, speak, think, and act within the immediate community and around the world.
Develop the interpersonal and social skills needed to learn, work, and play with others harmoniously and confidently.
Young adolescents must
Explore the arts, which helps them an appreciation for them, and connect students in a deeper way to overall learning.
Develop their own talents and knowledge of their strengths and interests. This helps connect them to society and their growth as a contributor to their world.
Be aware of and become responsible for their own health and well-being. It is during the middle grades that students are faced with lifestyle choices that have a profound impact on their health and their futures.

13. Assume responsibility for his or her own actions and be cognizant of and ready to accept obligations for the welfare of others.
Understand local, national, and global civic responsibilities and demonstrate active citizenship through participation in endeavors that serve and benefit those larger communities.
Young adolescents must
Be respectful of and learn to appreciate the value of others that may be different from them in regards to culture, views, religion, appearance, behaviors.
Learn to work with others by developing and practicing the social skills that will help them in career and home situations.
Be responsible for themselves. Think of others and consider the welfare of others while starting to step outside the self-absorption of youth.

14. The AMLE position paper, This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, is organized into two primary concepts:
- The 4 Essential Attributes of an excellent education for young adolescents (middle circle)
The 16 Characteristics of a successful school (larger outer circle). These can be grouped into 3 main areas as we’ll do in the next slides.
The 4 essential attributes…
Developmentally Responsive
Challenging
Empowering
Equitable
… describe the successful school for 10- to 15-year-olds.
To achieve these 4 essential attributes there are 16 characteristics that should be implemented, ideally in concert, not individually. It’s the power of all fo the characteristics that make for a successful school. We’ll describe the characteristics in the next few slides.

15. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them.
Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning.
Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant.
Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches.
Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it.
Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them.
Effective middle grades teachers/administrators choose to and have a passion for this age group.
Teacher preparation programs, continuing ed programs, and targeted professional development events designed specifically for the middle grades help educators know and understand this age group in order to reach them.
Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning.
Best characterized by hands-on activities, student-directed learning, teachers and students learning together.
Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant.
Ideally there are projects or units organized around a theme, and encompassing multiple subject areas
Projects and studies must be relevant to the students—connecting to their lives and/or communities—and challenging, though achievable.
Teachers should offer choices among learning activities to give every student the chance to learn based on their individual needs.
Students need the chance to take charge of their own learning, have the chance to make choices, develop leadership, and demonstrate responsibility.
Chances to explore content are critical, as now is the time they hunger for this. Students shouldn’t be needlessly restricted. They need chances to broaden their views and experiences.
Integrated studies allow the coverage of real-life issues. Very important for keeping kids engaged in the classroom.
Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches.
Varied instructional approaches allow teachers to appeal to students’ varying talents/interests
Varied approaches also allow varying levels of challenges for all students.
Instruction should included using the community, families, technology, as resources.
Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it.
Each classroom should balance formative and summative assessments. Formative assessment to help advance learning, summative assessment to evaluate learning.
Students should have the chance to set personal goals, chart their growth, and reflect on progress. Assessing their progress should serve as a learning function.
Assessment criteria, typically in rubric format, should be set in advance.
Various assessment strategies should be employed: journals, electronic portfolios, demonstrations, peer and teacher feedback, tests, audio/video evidence.
A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision.
Build the school’s vision collaboratively around a core set of beliefs that are understood, owned, supported by the larger school community
The vision guides all decision that the school makes.

16. Leadership and Organization
A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision.
Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about this age group, educational research, and best practices.
Leaders demonstrate courage and collaboration.
Ongoing professional development reflects best educational practices.
Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships.
Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about this age group, educational research, and best practices.
School leaders can be administrators, teachers, or other staff.
Important for school leaders to keep current on research and best practices.
Use this information to empower others to make the hard decisions necessary for the well-being of every student.
Leaders nurture, sustain, and advocate for comprehensive, student-centered education program
Leaders demonstrate courage and collaboration.
Understanding and commitment to successful education for every young adolescent helps the successful leader challenge and change practices that do not serve students’ best interests.
Successful principals use the expertise of a variety of people.
Successful principals build a culture of collaboration, cultivate leadership skills in others, empowers others to make decisions.
Ongoing professional development reflects best educational practices.
Effective professional development is based on data collected about the school and the identified needs of teachers.
Effective programs offer contiued participation over an extended period, not a one-time shot.
Can be local, state, or national conferences; teacher mentors; workshops; university courses; focused school visitations.
Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships.
Signature component of high-performing schools is 2 or more teacher team working with a common group of students in a block of time.
Why teams? Brings a sense of family, everyone becomes well-acquainted, opening the door for feeling safe, supported, and encouraged to take intellectual risks.
Teaming expands professional lives of teachers, brings a collegial focus
Daily or regular common planning time is essential for teams.
Schedules that provide large blocks of time allows for valuable learning experiences not possible in shorter periods.
Large schools can be divided into “houses” or “schools-within-a school” to foster sustained relationships.
The school community is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all.
Safe, inclusive, inviting schools bring a sense of emotional well-being, promotes in-depth learning.
In such schools, relationships are paramount.
Teachers, staff, and students are cordial, know each other by name, and interact comfortably.
Transition programs help successfully integrate and welcome students.

17. Culture and Community
The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all.
Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate.
Comprehensive guidance and support services meet the needs of young adolescents.
Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies.
The school actively involves families in the education of their children.
The school includes community and business partners.
Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate.
Advocacy is not a singular event, but an attitude of caring that translates into actions big and small when adults respond to the needs of each young adolescent in their charge.
An adult advocate gives students opportunities to dialogue about issues in or out of school with a trusted adult.
Regular meetings with advisors helps students develop respect for self and others, compassion, values, cooperation, decision-making.
Advisors need ongoing professional development to help with this role.
Comprehensive guidance and support services meet the needs of young adolescents.
Successful schools provide specialized professionals who are readily available to assist students as they negotiate their lives both in and out of school.
Can be counselors, special needs teachers, psychologists, social workers, nurses, community liaisons.
Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies.
Schools should help students develop and maintain healthy minds and bodies and understand their own physical development.
Health and wellness concerns should permeate the entire school and curriculum.
Adults are encouraged to model good health habits.
The school actively involves families in the education of their children.
Schools must create a family-friendly environment and aggressively take the initiative to forge home-teacher-school bonds.
Research clearly shows the link of family involvement with higher levels of student achievement, improved student behavior, and greater overall support for schools.
Important to be sensitive to local and cultural considerations and various types of family structures.
The school includes community and business partners.
Schools do not educate children alone.
The community is an excellent resource and schools can tap into businesses, social service agencies, and organizations with purposes consistent with the schools’ mission.

18. This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents
advocates for what research shows is right for young adolescents, not what might be current practice, expedient, or readily accomplished.
The importance of middle level education cannot be overestimated. The future of individuals and our society is largely determined by the educational experiences of young adolescents during these formative years.
The Association for Middle Level Education, as reinforced through This We Believe, believes that middle level education is a key to everyone’s success and must be handled in a responsible, purposesful, research-based way.

19. Call to Action Professional Development Opportunities
Assess Its Current Implementation in Your School
Reflect & Discuss with Others
“Walk the Talk” Engage Key Stakeholders
Read & Understand
I encourage you to make a commitment to the philosophy of middle level education. Thoroughly preparing all young adolescents to succeed in a demanding and evolving global culture makes the transformation and improvement of middle level education an imperative.
Read and become personally familiar with the contents of This We Believe.
Engage one or two colleagues in discussion about This We Believe. Share your views. Clarify your thinking. Consider the implications to practice.
Explore with and engage others on the staff.
Assess the degree to which your school implements the 16 characteristics.
Develop a school improvement plan and include collaborative professional development opportunities.

20. Advocacy Tool Teaching colleagues Parent groups Community groups
Superintendents
School boards
State departments of education
State legislators
Higher education
This We Believe is an excellent tool for advocating about doing what’s best in your school.
You can use it with teaching colleagues, parents, community groups, district staff, the school board, officials in state government, and higher education staff.
It can open the door to collaborative partnerships, to increased attention to programs and successes, to legislative action that benefits students.

21. Research Research and Resources in Support of This We Believe
Accompanying book available online and in print

22. In Practice Accompanying book available online and in print
This We Believe in Action
This comprehensive resource visualizes what successful middle level schools can be and gives all middle level leaders information and direction to take action and fully implement the middle school concept. Includes DVD of eight highly successful middle level schools.
Accompanying book available online and in print

23. [Hold a Q&A]
I’d like to conclude by sharing that the Association for Middle Level Education offers a wide variety of free resources to all who care about the education of 10- to 15-year-olds. Members receive access to literally thousands of documents on our website, our printed periodicals, and member e-newsletters. AMLE holds the largest, most powerful professional development experience for middle grades educators each November when we host the Annual Conference for Middle Level Education [name the next conference dates and location]. We also hold a premium leadership team experience each summer called the Institute for Middle Level Leadership [share dates/location of next events].
Thank you for your time today.