National Organizations Recognize Importance of New Middle Grades Research Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better

NMSA Announces Allbritten as Next Executive Director Westerville, OH – National Middle School Association (NMSA) is pleased to announce the hiring of the Honorable Dr. Drew Allbritten as its new executive director. From a field of sixty candidates, Allbritten was the unanimous decision of the search committee.

Updated Best Practices Clearinghouse released AUSTIN - The Texas Education Agency today launched a redesigned Best Practices Clearinghouse (BPC) Web site that includes a range of dynamic new features such as a searchable database and additional research information.

Brandon Kimble named HISD Secondary Teacher of the Year One of TMSA's Teacher of the Year Award Winners is awarded the Houston ISD's 2010-2011 Secondary Teacher of the Year Award.

To fight 'dropout factories,' school program starts young This article in USA Today shares how the program "Diplomas Now" is using this research to identify and then support potential drop-outs while they are still in middle school

PSJA receives $2 million grant to expand AUSTIN – The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, which in recent years has made great strides in boosting its graduation and dropout recovery efforts, today was awarded a $2 million two-year grant by the Texas Education Agency to support a new model for a district-wide college readiness initiative called All Students: College Ready, College Connected.

Early College High School graduates earn associate of arts degrees and $5.6 million in college scholarships A select group of Texas seniors are graduating this year with not only a high school diploma but also an associate of arts degree under the state’s Early College High School (ECHS) program.

Preliminary TAKS results show increasing passing rates AUSTIN – Preliminary results from the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) show that passing rates on the standard test rose at grades 3-5 and 7-11 and that an overwhelming majority of the Class of 2011 passed the exit-level state exams required for graduation.

Rethinking Middle School Education The Middle School years are a hormone-fueled, socially-charged, technology-obsessed time of life. Now, new brain research and emerging technology trends are combining to encourage educators re-think how to best engage eleven to fourteen year olds in learning, and and prepare them for life in a complex world.