Executive Director's Note

Betty Edwards

February is interesting

For such a short month, it offers varied and numerous celebrations and recognitions, including Valentine's Day, Black History Month, Mardi Gras, President's Day, and the Super Bowl.

For many of us, February marks the time we start looking forward to the spring. While January and the "new year" suggest resolutions for change, February and thoughts of spring bring ideas of newness, hope, and anticipation. We even begin the month with Groundhog Day, looking for signs of an early end to winter and visions of what spring brings: new growth.

I can remember my father anxiously awaiting his copy of the Burpee seed catalog. When it arrived, he sat at the dining room table, scouring the catalog and carefully planning his garden. It was pure joy to watch his face the day his seed packets arrived in the mail. He was not one to wait until the soil had thawed to plant those seeds. Instead, he started them early in the warmth of our kitchen, in small pots perched on the bright window sill.

When it was time to transplant the small seedlings in the garden, he was careful to watch over and fertilize them, weed interfering plants that could take away their strength, and stake growing plants to provide guidance and support. Later in the summer, it almost became a nightly ritual as my father proudly identified all of the vegetables on the dinner table that came from his garden. And each year he raced to be the first in the neighborhood to pick a ripe tomato. Oh, what bragging rights that brought!

My father cared for and nurtured us in the same way, providing us with the support, nourishment, and structure we needed to grow. And, it's the way that teachers and administrators teach and guide young adolescents. Have you ever known an educator who was not proud of student success? Not a chance. We have always sought to guide, instruct, and cultivate learning.

The focus of this issue of Middle Ground is transition, which is about growth and movement. Educating a child is a continuous process, requiring that learning be supported and developed over time. Healthy growth, whether physical, emotional, or mental, doesn't just happen—it takes concentration and directed attention, and there are signposts along the way to provide insights.

Just as nature signals when plants are stressed or not getting needed nourishment, we now know there are indications when students aren't doing well. Recent research conducted by Johns Hopkins University and reported in the October 1997 issue of Educational Leadership suggests that if sixth grade students exhibit even one of the following characteristics, they have little chance of graduating from high school:

• A final grade of F in mathematics
• A final grade of F in English
• Attendance below 80% for the year
• A final "unsatisfactory" behavior mark in at least one class

This is something that you can "see," just as you can see when a plant needs water or fertilizer or a support stake so that it grows in the right direction. Just as a plant will try to survive insufficient nourishment or support, so will students. They will be resilient for a year or two before giving up. It is our responsibility to look for the signals that students send us and intervene to put them back on a successful path. It is something we have to do deliberately and intently—knowing what to look for and what action to take.

So, it's February: a month full of anticipation. As William Bushaw shares in his November 2007 Phi Delta Kappan article, "From the Mouths of Middle Schoolers: Important Changes for High School and College," middle level students look forward to their futures and anticipate success. It is our job to help them make their transitions fruitful and their expectations a reality.