Making the Most of Middle School: A Field Guide for Parents and Others

The middle school years mark a critical transition period for young adolescents and their parents. This break-through volume empowers parents to advocate for the very best education for their children. By clearly explaining what adolescents need (and what makes them tick), this essential guide:

• Offers sound advice for choosing the right middle school and for working with teachers and principals.
• Describes, in the students’ own words, what they think about a range of issues, such as favorite and least favorite subjects, school safety, teacher quality, peer pressure, and parent-child relationships.
• Includes essential details from effective parent/middle school partnerships, including interviews with participants.
• Presents essential wisdom from two landmark books on middle school education, Turning Points (1989) and Turning Points 2000 (2000).

Anthony W. Jackson is Executive Director, International Studies Secondary Schools Network at the Asia Society, P. Gayle Andrews is an assistant professor at The University of Georgia , Holly Holland is the former editor of Middle Ground magazine and the author of several books about education reform , and Priscilla Pardini is a former middle-grades teacher and newspaper reporter who writes about education.