Introduction to Middle School

This fresh, new book presents a comprehensive introduction to the children, the choices, and the challenges of teaching middle school. Writing in the first person, the author, an experienced middle school teacher, examines the full range of middle school topics, from the development and diversity of middle school learners, to the structures, curriculum, and environment of the school itself. Engaging vignettes and photos of teachers and students bring topics to life, while boxed NMSA performance standards relate to each chapter's content. The resulting book offers a comprehensive body of knowledge that emphasizes academic rigor while speaking to pre-service teachers in a voice that invites new teachers into this field.

Sara Davis Powell has devoted her career to enhancing the middle school experience for both students and teachers. Most of her 30 years as an educator have been spent in the middle school math classroom. She is now at the College of Charleston in South Carolina teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in middle level education. Sara remains actively involved in local classrooms and the middle school community through facilitating staff development, supervising student teachers, conducting research on middle grades issues, and advocating for young adolescents whenever and wherever possible. She is also a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences where her enthusiasm for middle level education has proven contagious.