NMSA in Action

Advocacy in Action

Learning, collaboration, and advocacy were the key topics at the National Middle School Association Board of Trustee's recent meeting in Washington, D.C. Your association's board has been engaged throughout the past year in a wide variety of reading and discussion to advise the writing of a new strategic plan for NMSA. This learning continued with presentations by Andreas Schleicher from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development who spoke about the most recent PISA results. Vivien Stewart from Asia Society spoke on the need for the globalization of American schools. Charles Hiteshew from America's Promise shared information about their work in addressing the needs of America's youth and the dropout crisis. In the spirit of collaboration, representatives from several other educational associations joined board members for these discussions. These conversations helped identify both challenges and opportunities facing our country and our schools.

The following day, the NMSA Board hit the Hill. The morning began with a meeting at the U.S. Department of Education followed by board members visiting their legislators armed with information about NMSA, Success in the Middle, and state ACT results. Board members saw first-hand that interest in the middle level is alive in D.C. Legislators and aides expressed genuine interest in experiences from "back home," and the belief that advocacy is crucial was reinforced. Evidently our efforts paid off. Within a few days of the visits, we've had three new co-sponsors for Success in the Middle and three new co-sponsors for Striving Readers.

The day ended at the Capitol building with the presentation of the NMSA Distinguished Service Award to Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (IL). These legislators were honored for the leadership demonstrated by sponsoring the Success in the Middle Act. Rep. John Yarmuth (KY) also visited with the board to discuss the Striving Readers Act. The day ended with discussions with key legislative aides from the offices of Senators Alexander (TN), Kennedy (MA), Enzi (WY), Murray (WA), Sessions (AL), Reed (RI), Whitehouse (RI) and Reid (NV), and Representatives Miller (CA), Yarmuth (KY), and Holt (NJ). Each of these members of Congress has played an important role in furthering the education agenda and bringing much needed attention to the middle level.

The NMSA Board left Washington, D.C., armed with new knowledge, a renewed commitment to collaboration, and the belief that advocating for the middle level must be a top priority for the future.

Powerful Plans with a Tech Influence

More than 9,000 educators who work with young adolescents will gather in Denver, Colorado, to share the most current research and best practices in middle level education. The 35th National Middle School Association Annual Conference and Exhibit (NMSA08) offers the best professional development available for any educator who works with kids in grades 5 to 9. With more than 500 sessions in over 40 topics, the conference truly has something for everybody.

NMSA08 will highlight the challenge that educators face in today's digital age. Alan November will facilitate the opening general session, focusing on the challenges and featuring successes of schools and teachers that are using a wide variety of technologies in their teaching and learning. "We have the responsibility to prepare our students for a world that is constantly changing, and for jobs that we have not even dreamed of yet," says November. Also, learn how to move yourself and your school from "good to great" from keynoter Jim Collins, and hear actress Marlee Matlin talk about helping children reach their potential.

In addition to strands on the characteristics of This We Believe, there will be a technology strand of presentations throughout the conference and attendees will also get to play in technology "sand boxes" throughout the public areas of the Colorado Convention Center. At these "sand boxes" you will see technologies in action and get hands-on experience.

Attendees will also have the opportunity in the exhibit hall to network with over 350 education companies offering the newest, most innovative products and educational services available. You can experience the "21st Century Classroom," a structure designed and built to allow students and teachers to make full use of technology across the curriculum.

Visit www.nmsa.org/annual to find out more about this Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2008 event.

It's About the Bigs and Littles

Month of the Young Adolescent partner feature

Jill Godsey

For most seventh and eighth graders it's not cool to have a big brother or a big sister around. They want to be independent and self-sufficient. They want to have their parents drop them off around the corner from the school rather than at the front door. But the students at Shaw Middle School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are excited when their Big Brothers and Big Sisters come to school.

Shaw Middle School has participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring program for four years, serving about 70 students in one-to-one mentoring relationships, roughly 20% of the school's total student body.

"Our kids are proud to have their Big Brothers and Big Sisters come around," said Charlie Hall, the liaison for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Shaw Middle School. "They are proud to have them and proud to show them off."

School-Based Mentoring is the fastest growing form of mentoring in America today and Big Brothers Big Sisters has 125,000 volunteers in over 6,000 schools each year. Big Brothers Big Sisters promotes one-to-one youth mentoring, creating meaningful relationships between caring adult volunteers (Bigs) and children in need (Littles). Through this program, volunteers are matched with children at school where they spend an hour a week together, taking part in activities like board games, shooting hoops, homework, or just talking.

Hall says it's the time spent just "hanging out" that makes the most difference. "I could see that the program was successful when the Bigs and Littles were just there to share with each other," said Hall. "Just to hang out, not necessarily work on school things." It was at that point that it was clear a true relationship had been formed.

What one-to-one youth mentoring creates is a relationship between the Big and the Little, giving the Little guidance and support, and making a positive impact on his or her life. Hall believes that it's the knowledge that there is someone else looking out for the Littles and rooting for them that makes all the difference.

And teachers at Shaw Middle School feel the same way.

"Having a shoulder to cry on, words of wisdom, a high-five for success—these students need that," says Krissy Walrath, a teacher at Shaw Middle School.

Participation in the program also benefits students' schoolwork and behavior. According to a recent study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring program, students enrolled are less likely to skip school and have fewer infractions, like fighting or trips to the principal's office, than those without Bigs. Little's school assignments were also of higher quality and turned in more often than children without mentors, and they increased their academic performance in written and oral language. The program is making a difference and the schools and students are benefiting from it.

For more information visit BigBrothersBigSisters.org