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- Adult ed proposal revised
- Early ed advocates disappointed
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Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals
It's New. It's Free to Download. It's Research-Based.
Need Help Putting Together Your Middle Grades Game Plan?
Designed to help school leaders identify and implement actionable practices that set high-performing schools apart, our Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals is indispensable for middle grades leaders working to prepare students for high school—and get them on track for college and careers.
The Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals is based on the findings from EdSource's landmark Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades study, one of the largest middle grades studies ever conducted.
Thanks to generous support from the Stuart Foundation, you can download the components of the Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals for free.
What People Are Saying
"[T]he EdSource study . . . provides a rich, evidence-based guide to improving student achievement in the middle grades."
Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Department of Education
"The Middle Grades Playbook--WOW...powerful...practical...clear!"
Mary Gomes, Middle Grades Education Council, Association of California School Administrators
"All of our middle school principals have used the Gaining Ground study. This has really led to wonderful discussions and a framework for reform."
Robert Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Corona-Norco Unified School District
"Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades...provides schools with key strategies that will help prepare students for academic success in high school and beyond."
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the National Middle School Association, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals
Components of Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals
In addition to the items listed below, the Action Kit also includes a CD with electronic versions of all the components and the original research studies, as well as a PowerPoint presentation to help school and district leaders.
Middle Grades Playbook describes how the classroom, school, and district levels each can contribute to stronger middle grades education—including self-assessments and a compendium of actionable practices.
Get Playbook
School profiles provide a window into how selected schools from the Gaining Ground study are thinking about, undertaking, and improving their practices.
Get Profiles
Principal and teacher survey tools help you take stock of the existing foundation for improvement in your district or middle grades school and get people talking.
Get Survey Tools
Thanks to Our Funder
EdSource thanks the Stuart Foundation for its generous project support of the development, design, and dissemination of the Middle Grades Action Kit for Superintendents and Principals.
Read the Research
Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better
This EdSource study, released in 2010, is based on survey responses from 303 principals, 3,752 English language arts and math teachers in grades 6-8, and 157 superintendents. The study was designed to identify practices and policies that differentiate higher– from lower–performing middle grades schools that serve similar student populations.
Improving Middle Grades Math Performance
This follow-up analysis to EdSource's landmark Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades study inquires further into the study data to provide a more in-depth look at middle grades mathematics practices and policies. The centerpiece is an empirical exploration of grade 8 Algebra I placement, based on longitudinal data linking the mathematics CSTs that students took in grades 7 and 8.EdSource extends a special thanks to Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, who asked, "Why do some schools do better than others with similar students?" To help answer that question, he provided major funding for the Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades study released in February 2010 and encouraged us to turn our research findings into a guide and toolkit for district and school leaders.