Memorial Junior High School Hosts Character Education Forum

Memorial JHS in Valley Stream NY hosted a forum on character education that focused on how to evaluate the character education program in your school using the 11 Principles of Character framework which can be found on the character.org website.   The 11 Principles of Character serves as an excellent program reflection guide.  Also discussed was how to apply for a character education recognition award after the reflection process is completed.  At the conclusion of the forum school representatives shared some strategies on ways to infuse character education into your school and how they apply to each principle.  

Teaching for Tomorrow Conference

On Friday, May 27th the New York State Middle School Association hosted our 4th Annual Teaching for Tomorrow Middle Level Conference in collaboration with St. Joseph's College.  Over 100 educators from across Long Island attended to make the day a great success.  We had over 20 practitioner workshops celebrating middle-level best practice.  Dr. Ernest Morrell, Columbia University Professor in collaboration with Pearson Publishing was our keynote speaker. Dr. Morrell was introduced by Dr. Don Gately, SAANYS 2016 Middle School Principal of the Year who opened the morning with a powerful speech.  We are grateful to the member of the planning committee to include, Dr. Shawn Robertson, Dr. LaQuita Outlaw, Mr. Tom Murray, Dr. Don Gately, Mr. Stephen Kimmel, and Dr. Allison Glickman-Rogers.

Roslyn Middle School Demonstrates Social Equity

On February 12^th the Roslyn Middle School participated in No One Eats Alone Day, a Beyond Differences initiative.  We mixed things up in the cafeteria, sitting somewhere new, learning about others, and taking pride in our school.  No One Eats Alone Day is a national movement to end social isolation.  The best part - the students are in charge.  We recently visited all of our classrooms to introduce No One Eats Alone Day and enlist the help of our students. We were overwhelmed with the positive response. Over 70 students volunteered to help make this day a success.   At our initial planning meetings students created posters, wrote announcements, made decorations, and picked an activity to learn about others on the day of the event. 

We are so proud of all the work our students, faculty and community.  We know all students enjoyed and appreciated the company of the staff. 

You can learn more about No One Eats Alone Day on the Beyond Differences website, http://www.nooneeatsalone.org/welcome/. 

National Service Award for Roslyn Middle School Student

Cole Faller and Principal Craig Johanson

Roslyn Middle School seventh-grader Cole Faller was selected as New York's top Middle Level Youth Volunteer in the 2016 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

Cole helped start an annual community-wide flag football event called "Go Long For Luke," that has raised nearly $50,000 over the past three years to support young people with autism. When Cole was in fourth grade, he participated as a mentor in an after-school program for kids with special needs, and became good friends with an autistic boy named Luke. "Luke has autism," Cole said at the time. "It's okay, autism is just a different way of thinking."

Cole teamed up with his twin brother, Jesse, Luke's twin sister, Sophie, and their parents to organize the event. The first year around 100 kids participated, raising several thousand dollars. The event grew the next year, and the New York Jets honored Jesse and Cole. The third annual "Go Long For Luke" took place in September and 147 kids participated. Hundreds of spectators showed up, and a DJ, photo booth, and carnival games provided additional entertainment. In total, the event raised over $25,000. Much of the money will be used to help establish group homes for young adults with autism who have aged out of the school system.

As a State Honoree, Cole will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, DC, where he will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2016.

Cole also qualified for the President's Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country.  He will be receiving a President's Volunteer Service Award certificate and a letter from President Barack Obama.

Science and Archaeology Combine in Amityville

Students at E.W. Miles Middle School in Amityville recently converted their library into their very own “Museum of Natural History.”  Our 8^th and 9^th grade students performed various experiments on a multiple skull samples to identify the various stages of evolution.  Students were highly engaged in hands on activities over a two day period.

Advisory in Action - AMLE a Great Resource

A previous blog examined the historical development of advisory programs.  Today I visited www.amle.org to catch up on some of the latest research and practical guidance for implementing advisory.  I encourage everyone to utilize AMLE as a resource for integrating developmentally sound instructional practices.  While reading,  a number of the resources struck a chord. 

In Making Connections with Advisory, 7^th grade teacher Ellen D’Amore describes how important it is to  develop the social and emotional well-being of a child for academic success.  In schools the bottom line is the academic growth of our children.  However, a quality advisory and meeting those social and emotional needs sets the foundation and is an investment that supports the academic outcomes we want. 

We need to be flexible when thinking about how to implement advisory.  Time is always the biggest obstacle.  If we think more broadly about the goals of advisory we can be creative in how they are implemented.  D’Amore describes how advisory initially focuses on the social and emotional needs of students and then transitions into academic awareness and goals. 

Another resource located on the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) website is an article titled, Looking at Executive Function, written by Rick Wormeli.  Explicitly teaching young adolescents the organizational skills they need is a great use of advisory.  If we take the time to support students in their organization we will ultimately gain instructional time throughout the year.  Moreover, it is important for routines and procedures to remain consistent for the young adolescent.  For more on Executive Function check out the article. 

Lastly, Lynn Saleki’s article, Technology in Advisory provides some great strategies for leveraging technology to enhance advisory.  I encourage you to check it out at www.amle.org .  

EE:STW - Congratulations to North Shore Middle School

Congratulations to Dr. Marc Ferris and his faculty, staff, and students for being designated as National Forum to Accelerate middle grades reform, State Education Department and New York State Middle School Association Essential Elements: School to Watch.  Dr. Ferris shares his thoughts on the process below. I encourage everyone to seek out our EE:STW schools and learn more about the process.

 Going through the process of becoming an Essential School to watch forced us to reflect on our current educational practices.  It confirmed for us what we do well and also helped us to focus on what we need to strive towards in the future.

Mostly, being an essential school to watch means providing students with a caring, supportive, and developmentally appropriate school culture that supports academic excellence for all students.  We are so proud of our teachers and students as this recognition confirms that our focus on creating a school community where "Everyone Matters, Everyone Cares, and Everyone Learns" (our school ethos) is tightly aligned with what our state and nation value in quality education.

South Ocean Middle School Begins Video Update Club

Dr. Timothy Piciullo, Principal of South Ocean Middle School in the Patchogue-Medford School District recently began a Video News Broadcast club with his students.  This is a great way to empower students and meet their developmental needs. We look forward to sharing the growth of this program.

Historical Look at Advisory Research

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), formally The National Middle School Association (NMSA) is a leader in middle-level advocacy and research.  The 2003 position paper, This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents is the result of the growth in researcher’s collective knowledge of how middle school children function.  The first edition of This We Believe was published in 1982.  This We Believe (2003) outlines 14 characteristics of successful middle schools.  The first eight components are rooted in school culture and the remaining six guidelines are program components essential to middle-level education.  NMSA states that, “Each student must have one adult to support that student’s academic and personal development” (NMSA, 2003, p. 16).  The research literature supports a middle school program that places an emphasis on academic success without excluding the developmental needs of the child.  The current reality of high-stakes testing fails to place the same emphasis on the social and emotional needs of young men and women.  This We Believe asserts that advocacy needs to be rooted in the culture of a school system; advisory programs are a part of the advocacy system.

Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century, the follow up to the Carnegie Foundations 1989 report of middle-level reform promotes an advisory program that meets a minimum of three times weekly.  Research in support of the Turning Points recommendations found that, “A significant adult who provides support and direction during difficult times is an important factor in helping students avoid academic failure and a variety of other problems” (Jackson & Davis, 2000, p. 143).  Advisory can also foster character building activities and time for personal goal setting and social development.

New York State, in 2003, adopted the Essential-Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs.  The seven essential elements which include: 1) Philosophy and Mission 2) Educational Program 3) Organizational Structure 4) Classroom Instruction 5) Educational Leadership 6) A Network of Academic and Personal Support and 7) Professional Learning, attempt to create a balance between the academic, social, and emotional needs of the young adolescent.  Element Six recommends explicitly the need for, “An adult mentor in addition to a guidance counselor, either formally through a teacher/student, advisor/advisee program or informally through a school culture of caring in which teachers or other adults assume responsibility for individual students” (New York State Department of Education, 2003, p. 7).  An advisory program allows for an adult to develop an individual relationship with a small group of students.  Effective advisory programs can address the academic and social needs of children through both structured and non-structured activities. 

            According to Galassi and Gulledge (1997), since the advent of middle school, in response to a general dissatisfaction with the junior high school model, advisories have been synonymous with developmentally appropriate middle-level instruction.  Advisory programs address the developmental needs of the child at this rollercoaster time in their development. 

The pioneers in middle school development recognized the importance of advisory programs.  Donald Eichorn identified the need for each student to have, “a close relationship with a member of the adult staff of the school” (Eichorn in Alexander, et al., 1968, p. 57).  The home-base group used to develop a relationship between teacher and student as initial counselor has evolved into the modern day advisory program.  The home-base program addressed individual student goals, including: behavior, academic goals, and school wide events. 

A successful advisory program is an investment in human and time resources.  All players in the school system have a vested interest in the success of an advisory program.  Teachers, in particular, play a most vital role in the strength of an advisory program.  Planning the activities and structure requires, “participation from a number of teachers in each school who commit to becoming knowledgeable about advisory programs and are given time by the school district to read and develop a deep understanding of the reasons behind such a program” (Wilson, 1998, p. 2). 

The middle school organization provides students with “access to at least one adult who knows and cares for him personally, and who is responsible for helping him to deal with the problems of growing up” (Lounsbury & Vars, 1978, p. 41).  Daily advisory period can facilitate the development of a meaningful relationship between teachers and students.  In a study conducted by Johnson (2002) 82 Members of the selected southern state’s middle school association participated is a research study analyzing the degree that characteristics of developmentally responsive middle schools were implemented?   Johnson (2002) found, “the strongest correlation of dependent variables was between climate and adult advocacy.  The presence of nurturing adults in school settings fosters positive school climate” (Johnson, 2002, p. 73).   

Create School Reform Utilizing the Schools to Watch: Essential Elements

Schools across the nation utilize the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, Schools to Watch program to improve the middle-level outcomes for students.  The program is rooted in four domains, 1. Academic Excellence, 2. Developmental Responsiveness, 3. Social Equity and 4. Organizational Structures.  For resources and more information visit, www.middlegradesreform.org.   

New York State supports the Schools to Watch program through the 7 Essential Elements of Standards Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs. We encourage you to visit the New York State Middle School Association website at www.nysmsa.org and reach out to Long Island School's that have been designated as EE:STW schools.  I promise that this is a rewarding journey for everyone involved. 

A Message from the Region Director

Working with The New York State Middle School Association to advocate and support middle-level education is a privilege.  Geographically, Region 8 covers Nassau and Suffolk County.  We have a remarkable network of teachers and administrators in both counties.

We have two remarkable Principal Associations and one of the most active list-servs in the State.  We currently have six Essential Elements: Schools-To-Watch on Long Island.  Recently we had two more schools host Essential Elements: Schools-To-Watch site visits.  The Essential Elements has proven to be a successful blueprint for implementing school reform and developing exceptional middle-level programs.

We are also proud of our collaboration with Dr. Shawn Roberston and St. Joseph's College where we host our annual Long Island Conference.  The conference showcases best middle-level practice across Long Island.  If you have not attended in previous years we encourage you to attend.

Social media is a powerful way to leverage and showcase the great things taking place in our schools. I look forward to showcasing the great work taking place inside our Long Island middle schools.

This weekend the New York State Middle School Association is holding a Regional Director meeting in Elmira as we make plans for our Summer Institute and Annual Conference that will be held this October in beautiful Watkins Glen.