Brown (educational leadership, U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and Anfara (educational leadership, U. of Tennessee, Knoxville) examine education at the middle years level from the principal's perspective, spotlighting the principal's role in school reform and improvement based on the belief that schools should be responsive to the developmental needs of their students. Centered on a study of 98 principals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina, seven chapters explore the strategies used by principals in their responsiveness to students, to faculty and staff, and to their schools and communities. For aspiring and practicing middle school principals, board members, teachers and parents. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

From the Principal's Desk is a first person account of the experiences of an inner-city parochial school principal. The reader is introduced to the world of parochial education and the people who are engaged in its daily triumphs and difficulties. «Administration courses and books have their place, but here we have penetrating, existential insights into the inner workings of a school and its people propelled by faith.»

The second edition of The Encyclopedia of Middle Grades Education has been revised, updated, and expanded since its original publication in 2005. The Encyclopedia is a comprehensive overview of the field; it contains alphabetically organized entries that address important concepts, ideas, terms, people, organizations, publications, and research studies specifically related to middle grades education. This edition contains over 210 entries from nearly 160 expert contributors, this is a 25% increase in the number of entries over the first edition. The Encyclopedia is aimed at a general audience including undergraduate students in middle?level teacher preparation programs, graduate students, higher education faculty, and practitioners and administrators. The comprehensive list of entries are comprised of both short entries (500 words) and longer entries (2000 words). A significant number of entries appearing in the first edition have been revised and updated. Citations and references are provided for each entry.

This volume in The Handbook of Research on Middle Level Education gives an introduction to professional preparation and development of middle level teachers and administrators.

With the ever-changing, complex role of the principalship, school leaders are thirsty for a useful desk reference that aligns with professional standards. This actionable book brings the PSEL standards to life, providing leaders with support, mentorship, and practical advice. This book provides solutions to challenges and answers the hard questions associated with educational leadership alongside a host of tools, strategies, organizers, templates, and rubrics. Including voices from experienced leaders across rural, urban, suburban, tribal, and international settings, this book helps principals at all levels navigate challenges and make decisions that positively impact their students’ futures. You will be inspired to strive for a better future for your school community as you continually develop skills leading to a long, successful career in educational leadership.

A counselor and popular Washington Post contributor offers a new take on grades 6-8 as a distinct developmental phase--and the perfect time to set up kids to thrive. Middle school is its own important, distinct territory, and yet it's either written off as an uncomfortable rite of passage or lumped in with other developmental phases. Based on her many years working in schools, professional counselor Phyllis Fagell sees these years instead as a critical stage that parents can't afford to ignore (and though "middle school" includes different grades in various regions, Fagell maintains that the ages make more of a difference than the setting). Though the transition from childhood to adolescence can be tough for kids, this time of rapid physical, intellectual, moral, social, and emotional change is a unique opportunity to proactively build character and confidence. Fagell helps parents use the middle school years as a low-stakes training ground to teach kids the key skills they'll need to thrive now and in the future, including making good friend choices, negotiating conflict, regulating their own emotions, be their own advocates, and more. To answer parents' most common questions and struggles with middle school-aged children, Fagell combines her professional and personal expertise with stories and advice from prominent psychologists, doctors, parents, educators, school professionals, and middle schoolers themselves.