This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young Adolescents is the landmark position paper from National Middle School Association in which the association's vision for a successful school for 10- to 15-year-olds is delineated in 14 characteristics. The most profound and enduring lesson learned in 30 years of active middle school advocacy is that the characteristics are interdependent and must be implemented in concert. Research and cumulative, empirical evidence have confirmed that these characteristics when present over time lead to higher levels of student achievement and overall development.

Executive summary