Messages from NMSA

Letter from the President
11/2009
Cathie Thibodeau

This We Believe
10/2009
Read the Executive Director's Note from the October 2009 issue of Middle Ground.

NMSA sends comments to US DOE regarding School Improvement Funds
9/2009

This We Know: NMSA Washington Update
Updated 9/15/09

"The Success in the Middle Act"
7/2009
In an effort to strengthen middle level education and increase high school graduation rates, Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) have reintroduced the Success in the Middle Act (H.R. 3006/S. 1362).

Letter from the President
5/2009
Janet Vernon

New Resource Available to Help Reverse High School Dropout Crisis
2/2009
Grad Nation is a new resource for communities and organizations working to reduce high school dropout rates

Economic Issues and How They Affect Young Adolescents
2/2009
Now is the time for parents and educators to talk to young adolescents about what is happening in our world. Explain how the economy affects everyone. Be honest and talk about the impact on our schools and families.

As I look out the windows
2/2009
Read the Executive Director's Note from the February 2009 issue of Middle Ground.

Recommendations to the President-Elect
NMSA and six other national education organizations call on the new administration and Congress to prioritize international education as part of an economic recovery and development plan.

Each time I write
10/2008
Read the Executive Director's Note from the October 2008 issue of Middle Ground.

Dropouts: The Missing Link
9/2008
In this message published in the September 3, 2008, issue of Education Week, NMSA President Patti Kinney and NASSP President Larry Bradley share the concern that dropout prevention is not a high school problem. Research indicates that attention and efforts should start much earlier.

NMSA to Consider Name Change
8/2008
Read the Executive Director's Note from the August 2008 issue of Middle Ground.

National Teacher of the Year awarded to a middle school teacher
5/2008
Michael Geisen, a seventh grade science teacher from Prineville, Oregon, won this prestigious national honor.

"The Success in the Middle Act"
10/2007
Read key points about the first-ever middle level education initiative and ways you can communicate with your House Representative or Senator to support its passage.

NMSA Announces Hiring of New Executive Director
5/2007
National Middle School Association is pleased to announce the hiring of Betty Edwards as its new executive director.

NMSA's Recommendations for Reauthorization of NCLB
2/2007
In January 2007, NMSA sent recommendations to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Congressional leaders involved in NCLB discussions. The reauthorization of NCLB presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen national middle level policy and to help raise student learning and achievement in the middle grades.

National Symposium on Middle Level Education
10/2006
Read a summary and watch video of this important event held September 20 on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C.

Swaim Announces Retirement from NMSA
6/2006
At the June 2006 National Middle School Association Board of Trustees meeting, Executive Director Sue Swaim announced her upcoming retirement, effective as of June 30, 2007.

NMSA Responds
9/2005
At its recent meeting, the NMSA Board of Trustees sent a letter to Chester Finn of the Fordham Foundation regarding NMSA's concerns on the recently released Fordham report, Mayhem in the Middle, authored by Cheri Pierson Yecke.

NMSA Publishes Advertorial in Education Week
5/2005
Read the recent NMSA response to K-8 vs. middle schools published as an advertorial in the May 11th issue of Education Week. Sue Swaim, NMSA executive director, writes, "Successful education for students in grades 5-8 does not depend on grade configuration so much as what goes on in the classroom."

Strength in the Middle
4/2004
New grade configurations for educating young adolescents won't improve their student achievement and may delay us from focusing on the real issues that cause problems in middle schools—large class sizes, an overcrowded curriculum, inconsistent professional development for teachers and administrators—and more. Read the Education Week commentary by NMSA Executive Director Sue Swaim that addresses the scope of work we must be engaged in and the needed involvement and accountability of educators, policymakers, and parents to make it happen.

NMSA Responds
2/2004
In a recently published book, The War Against Excellence: The Rising Tide of Mediocrity in America's Middle Schools, Minnesota's commissioner of education accuses NMSA and middle level leaders of "being radical social activists" who are attempting to force changes that are damaging to students, especially those who are gifted.

Highly Qualified: A Balanced Approach
1/2004
Joint position statement with National Association of Elementary School Principals and National Association of Secondary School Principals

This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents
11/2003
At a National Press Club release on November 5, 2003, National Middle School Association announced the release of its new position paper, This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents. This landmark document provides a vision for successful middle schools and delineates 14 characteristics that, when present over time, lead to higher levels of student achievement and overall achievement.
Press Release
Executive Summary

Middle Level Teachers Need Both Content Knowledge and Instructional Skills To Be Effective
11/2003
Published in Education Week, January 2003.

Media Literacy for Middle Level Students: An Important Curriculum Component
6/2003
Reprinted with permission: National Telemedia Council, publisher of Telemedium-The Journal of Media Literacy, © 2002, from Fall 2002 special issue "Media and Youth- How The Media Construct Teens," http://www.nationaltelemediacouncil.org.

Together We Can Make a Difference!
10/2002
Month of the Young Adolescent 2002 Education Week Editorial.

A Message on Accountability and the Impact of High-Stakes Testing
2/2002
Sue Swaim, Executive Director

Now More Than Ever
9/2001
Sue Swaim, Executive Director