Middle School

Education news, analysis, and opinion about schools typically serving 6th to 8th grades and the students who attend them
Carmen Larson, 2025 School Counselor of the Year.
Carmen Larson, 2025 School Counselor of the Year.
Courtesy of the American School Counselor Association
Student Well-Being Q&A This School Counselor Has a Four-Legged Trick for Getting Tweens to Open Up
The 2025 School Counselor of the Year supports hundreds of middle schoolers with help from her therapy dog, Winston.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 11, 2025
5 min read
011725 Boys Charlottesville BS
Middle school boys chat in the hallway at the Community Lab School in Charlottesville, Va. The public charter school prioritizes student autonomy and collaboration, which educators say motivates boys to want to learn.
Courtesy of Don Barnes
Student Well-Being Middle School Is Tough for Boys. One School Found the 'Secret Sauce' for Success
Hands-on learning, choice, and other evidence-based practices help boys thrive.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 27, 2025
9 min read
Glitch stylized photo of a white woman with a hood over her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being From Our Research Center What's Behind the Falloff in Social-Emotional Learning for Teens
Surveys from the EdWeek Research Center find that districts' focus on SEL is back down to pre-pandemic levels.
Arianna Prothero, January 16, 2025
5 min read
A teachers' s hand opens a student's independence.
Anna Godeassi for Education Week
Student Well-Being Are Today's Students Really Less Independent Than Previous Generations?
Experts say social-emotional learning strategies are available for teachers to help students become more independent.
Arianna Prothero, January 13, 2025
9 min read
Close-up of a teacher's hands grading papers in the classroom.
E+/Getty
Assessment This School Didn't Like Traditional Grades. So It Created Its Own System
Principals at this middle school said the transition to the new system took patience and time.
Alyson Klein, November 5, 2024
6 min read
An illustration of a high school student looking in to an open book with black, gray, and red letters circling about around him.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Reading Interventions for Older Students May Be Missing a Key Component
Many older elementary and middle school students still struggle with foundational reading skills.
Sarah Schwartz, October 30, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of magnet attracting letters.
Dan Page for Education Week
Science Reading and Writing Like a Scientist
English and science teachers in Missouri middle schools collaborate to help students tackle complex scientific texts.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 28, 2024
6 min read
AI Hallucination - AI lying and making mistakes, LLM misinterprets. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Hallucination concept
iStock/Getty
Mathematics AI Gets Math Wrong Sometimes. How Teachers Deal With Its Shortcomings
Teachers discussed how they handle the technology’s errors—and sometimes, use these flaws to their advantage.
Sarah Schwartz, September 20, 2024
5 min read
From left, Andrew Rebello, former principal, Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, Mass.; Tracie Anderson Swilley, principal, Fairfield Central High School, Winnsboro, S.C.; Job Wilcox, principal, Petoskey Middle School, Petoskey, Mich.
From left, Andrew Rebello, former principal, Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, Mass.; Tracie Anderson Swilley, principal, Fairfield Central High School, Winnsboro, S.C.; Job Wilcox, principal, Petoskey Middle School, Petoskey, Mich.
Courtesy of NASSP
School & District Management Meet the 3 Finalists for National Principal of the Year
All three finalists spoke about the need to lift up their peers.
Olina Banerji, September 6, 2024
5 min read
Student in a school hall opening their locker.
E+
School Climate & Safety Q&A How Peer Mentors Can Ease the Transitions to Middle and High School
Advice on how to build peer mentor program.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 4, 2024
6 min read
Middle school students walk between classes at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
Middle school students walk between classes at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Student Well-Being Making the Transition to Middle School Better
Experts offer strategies for easing the transition to middle school and helping students find success.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 19, 2024
6 min read
AA studio shot of a Mario Kart diecast vehicle from the video and animated Nintendo series.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being How Video Games Can Combat Chronic Absenteeism (Yes, Really)
In one district, middle school esports clubs are helping to boost attendance and student engagement.
Alyson Klein, July 2, 2024
5 min read
Singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during her Eras Tour at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on June 7, 2024.
Taylor Swift performs on stage during her Eras Tour at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on June 7, 2024.
Jane Barlow/PA via AP
Reading & Literacy Q&A Can Taylor Swift Get Students to Love Poetry?
A college professor will train middle and high school teachers on how to use Swift's lyrics in their curriculum.
Madeline Will, June 19, 2024
8 min read
A student takes notes on their cell phone during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Schools across the country are struggling with whether to allow students to use cellphones in class.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy What Happened When This District Did an About-Face on Cellphones
Cellphones and other technologies have altered parents’ expectations about how on-demand kids and teachers should be.
Arianna Prothero, June 12, 2024
3 min read