Breaking Ranks in the Middle
Breaking Ranks in the Middle: Strategies for Leading Middle Level School Reform, details nine “cornerstone strategies” and 30 specific recommendations for improving student achievement. It also includes four full-length profiles and a number of vignettes of schools that already have many of the report’s recommendations in place. The report’s nine strategies are concentrated in three key areas: 1) collaborative leadership, professional learning communities, and the strategic use of data; 2) personalizing the school environment; and 3) creating rigorous student-centered curriculum, instruction, and assessment.