Middle School Redesign
With the competing interests of high stakes testing and the social and emotional needs of the emerging adolescent, middle schools are struggling to maintain the concept of educating the whole child.
Our Middle School Learning Lab has been co-designed with the Newton Public Schools to embed the beliefs and practices of integrated learning and standards-based programs into the four middle schools in the city. Using the BRIM initiatives, structures have been established to foster collaboration by designing common assessments, studying student work, and instituting best practices.
Teachers21 is utilizing our professional learning community practices to coordinate the design and development of shared expectations and outcomes. Our coaching model has provided the framework for administrators and teams of teachers to collaborate using various protocols to focus conversations. Examining how Newton can best use time and resources to assure a rigorous, challenging common core curriculum for all middle school students is the ultimate goal.