You will find abundant resources listed under the following categories:

• Literacy
• National Organizations
• School Reform
• Staff Development
• Urban Schools
• Foundations
• Departments of Education and State/Regional Initiatives
• Resources for Research
• Just for Families and Students

Literacy Matters - This site focuses on adolescent literacy development. This excellent web resource is designed for teachers, parents, and adolescent learners. It offers a wide range of online professional development opportunities for teachers, literacy resources for teachers and parents (including lesson plans), and an interactive online activity for middle-grades students.

International Association of Reading - The IRA is a professional membership organization dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading, and encouraging the lifetime reading habit. CHeck out thier Adolescent Literacy section under "Topics and Issues in Reading".

National Council of Teachers of English - NCTE works to advance teaching, research, and student achievement in English language arts at all scholastic levels. Use this site to explore the services and programs they offer, read about relevant education issues, possible funding sources, current literacy research, and much more.

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National Organizations

American Association of School Administrators - "The professional organization for over 16,500 educational leaders across North America and in many other countries."

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - "A non-profit, nonpartisan association of professional educators whose jobs cross all grade levels and subject areas. Committed to excellence in education, ASCD seeks to forge covenants in teaching and learning for the success of all learners."

The College Board - A national membership association of schools and colleges whose aim is to facilitate the student transition to higher education.

National Association of Elementary School Principals - This web site provides resources for educators, parents and students. Includes an on-line forum which discusses issues of importance to K-8 educators.

National Association of Secondary School Principals - An excellent resource for practitioners, this site includes papers and information of interest to middle school educators and policy makers.

National Education Association - The web site for the oldest and largest education organization committed to advancing the cause of public education in the United States.

National Middle School Association - The web site of the NMSA provides resources and information on middle school education and young adolescent development. Includes links to High Strides and Middle Ground.

National Staff Development Council - The NSDC web site provides resources and information on staff and professional development. Check out NSDC's Middle-Grades Reform Project, which seeks to identify staff development programs in the core content areas which have increased urban middle school student achievement.

Parents for Public Schools - PPS is a national organization of grassroots chapters dedicated to recruiting families to stay in or come back to public schools, involving parents in more meaningful roles, and improving public schools community-wide through district-level involvement.

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Academy of Educational Development - AED is a nonprofit service organization committed to addressing human development needs in the United States and throughout the world. Visit this site to read about AED's various projects in educational reform, including urban middle grades reform.

Coalition of Essential Schools - One of the largest school reform efforts in the country. Use this site to link to Coalition schools across the country, read full text versions of articles published in HORACE, as well as research papers published by the Coalition. Includes a browsable index.

Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) - This U.S. Department of Education program is designed to raise standards and build upon other state and local school efforts through Goals 2000, Title I, and other reform programs. The web site provides an application and guidelines, information on funding, and resources on school reform.

Council for Basic Education - The mission of the council is to "strengthen teaching and learning of the basic subjects." The council sees itself as an independent critical voice for school reform. They publish analytical periodicals and provide programs to "strengthen content in curriculum and teaching."

The Department of Education's Office of Reform Assistance & Dissemination (ORAD) - This US Department of Education web site supports comprehensive school reform by linking the education community with the best knowledge from education research, statistics, and practice.

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) - This site provides information on the many comprehensive school reform projects and programs at EDC including the National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP), Make It Happen!, AIM, and, ATLAS Communities.

The Education Trust - This organization promotes high academic standards for all students, but focuses primarily on low-income, Latino, and African American students. The Web site provides information on this organization, its mission, and its work.

Middle Start - Middle Start is a comprehensive middle-grades improvement initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Initially aimed at improving educational experiences for all middle-grades students in Michigan, Middle Start has expanded to five states in the Mid South and has a special emphasis on young people who are economically disadvantaged. Middle Start has become a successful local, state, and national model for middle-grades school reform.

MiddleWeb - This definitive middle-grades web site provides current research, news and information on middle-grades reform as well as an extensive list of resources and organizations of interest to parents, educators, policy makers, and administrators.

National Education Goals - Published by the National Education Goals panel, this site provides information on state and National Education Goals' reform efforts. Includes a searchable database of their publications.

Penn State University Educational Systems Design - This web site provides resources for people "trying to bring important changes to schools." Articles on Systems Theory and Systems Thinking as well as interviews and material from leading education reformers including Howard Gardner, Linda Darling-Hammond, Ted Sizer, James Comer, and others.

Public Education Network - Visit PEN's Middle Grades Improvement Page to find out more about the Chase Active Learning (CAL) Program and link up to the vast number of resources associated with CAL. Specifically, the FoCAL Points publications address more than a dozen issues of interest to middle school reformers.

Resources that Support Improvements in Academic Performance - Developed by Collaborative Communications Group and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, these resources enable principals, teachers, and parents to build support for standards and for the changes needed to facilitate improvements in teaching and learning. Includes two video discussion kits and an Online Engagement Tool Kit.

Turning Points Transforming Middle Schools- Turning Points is a New American Schools design for comprehensive middle school reform. It focuses on creating a professional collaborative culture and using data-based inquiry to improve teaching and learning for all students.

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The Champion Middle School Partnership - The Partnership provides information on helping middle schools redesign themselves through staff development and student learning. Includes links to home pages of middle schools across America involved in the Partnership.

The Eisenhower Network - This web site provides math and science equity materials to help teachers and administrators acknowledge children's diverse strengths, identify inequities, and improve ways of serving students with varied needs.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - This US Department of Education web site offers quick access to hundreds of teaching and learning resources across the federal government; a place where teachers, federal agencies, and other organizations can begin forming partnerships; and information about efforts to support partnerships of federal agencies & teachers.

Looking at Student Work - This web site, created by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform "presents the work of educators committed to new ways of looking at student work." The site provides structures, guidelines, and protocols for teachers to look at student work together.

Middle Level Leadership Center - This site, developed by the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri-Columbia, aims to promote quality middle level education through the development and dissemination of knowledge about effective site-level leadership.

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future - A "blue-ribbon group of 26 public officials, business and community leaders and educators who are broadly knowledgeable about education, school reform, and teaching." The Commission is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York and is directed by Linda Darling-Hammond. The site includes briefing papers and a policy information center.

National Staff Development Council - The NSDC web site provides resources and information on staff and professional development. Check out NSDC's Middle-Grades Reform Project, which seeks to identify staff development programs in the core content areas which have increased urban middle school student achievement.

The Teacher's Web Page - This site provides a collection of items created for teachers and designed to help advance President Clinton's call for "a talented and dedicated teacher in every classroom." Some of the resources at this site include National Awards Programs for Model Professional Development; Attracting and Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century; and The Mission and Principles of Professional Development.

Walden University Distance Learning - This M.S. in Education with a specialization in Middle Level Education is based on the NMSA/NCATE Standards for Middle Level Teacher Preparation at the master's level. This online program is for busy teachers of young adolescents (10-14 years old) who want to learn more about the unique needs of this age group and develop additional skills to create academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable middle grades schools and classrooms. The degree may be completed in less than two years.

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City Schools - The award winning research magazine about urban schools and communities published by North Central Regional Education Lab (NCREL). Includes full text articles from the first issue.

Council of the Great City Schools - This organization is made up of representatives from 50 of the nation's largest urban public school systems. They advocate for K-12 education in inner-city schools across the country. Descriptions of 155 urban education programs are included as well as links to Urban Educator and other related articles.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education - The same power and resources of AskERIC, but focused on urban education.

Figuring It Out: Standards-Based Reforms in Urban Middle Grades - This book by Anne Lewis describes the experiences of teachers and principals in six urban communities across the country. Lewis draws important lessons from the schools' experiences and describes character traits and leadership that must exist to keep people working for progress when change is slow and setbacks are common.

The Learning Communities Network, Inc. - The mission of this organization is to "improve learning for children through the creation of vibrant learning communities in urban public school districts that serve large numbers of low-income families." The site includes links to participating cities and publications, including Uncommon Sense and Learning Communities Narratives.

Long Beach Unified School District - A nationally-recognized pioneer in educational reform. Visit this site for information about LBUSD schools, policy, and academic standards.

San Diego City Schools - The mission of the San Diego City Schools is to improve student achievement by supporting teaching and learning in the classroom. Site includes the district's Blueprint for Student Success in a Standards-Based System.

The Urban Middle-Grades Reform Network - The web site for a working group of district administrators in about 40 urban school districts who are responsible for middle-grades reform. The web site contains a description of network activities, contact information for participating districts, a list of working documents, information about joining the network, links to other middle-grades related web sites, and the network's electronic mailing list.

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Carnegie Corporation of New York - This grantmaking foundation, created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911, promotes the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.

The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation - The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation "seeks to improve conditions and opportunities for people who live in poor and disadvantaged communities."

Foundation for the Mid-South - FMS is a "nonprofit organization that seeks to help the three states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi share resources and leadership across geographical, political, and provincial boundaries."

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation - The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is an operating and grantmaking foundation that works toward the vision of self-sufficient people in healthy communities.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation - The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to apply knowledge to solve the problems of people. Their work in middle-grades reform centers around Middle Start, which aims to improve the education experiences and outcomes for all students in Michigan. Past issues of the Middle Start newsletter can be accessed from this site.

Knight Foundation - Established in 1950, the Knight Foundation is a private foundation which makes grants in community initiatives, journalism, education, and arts and culture.

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California Department of Education - A comprehensive web site for the California Department of Education. Includes many resources and information on state standards.

Council of Chief State School Officers - A nationwide, nonprofit organization composed of chief education administrators. "CCSSO works on behalf of the state agencies that have primary authority for education in each state." Also search this site to find information on the Middle Grades School State Policy Initiative (MGSSPI).

Education Commission of the States - ECS is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing the states' interest in education. It serves state policymakers at all levels of education (preschool through higher education), in all role groups (governors, legislators, and state and district officials). The core of the website is the Education Issues section, which provides a wealth of information on dozens of education issues, from accountability to vouchers.

Education Resource Organizations Directory (EROD) - Search this site for organizations that provide resources and/or assistance on a broad range of education-related topics. EROD currently contains contact and descriptive information about more than 2,950 national, regional, and state organizations.

Illinois State Board of Education - A comprehensive web site for the Illinois State Board of Education. Includes resources for parents and teachers.

Michigan Schools in the Middle - Dedicated to improving middle-grades education across Michigan.

Southern Maine Partnership - The Southern Maine Partnership is a school-university collaborative that includes 33 school districts, two independent schools, two colleges and the University of Southern Maine, focused on teacher development and school renewal in support of all learners. In an ongoing attempt to support teaching and learning in Maine, the Southern Maine Partnership has been developing a series of events focused on middle level issues.

Southern Regional Council - The SRC is dedicated to promoting racial justice, protecting democratic rights, and broadening civic participation.

Southern Regional Education Board - The Southern Regional Education Board is the nation's first interstate compact for education. Created in 1948 by Southern states, SREB helps government and education leaders work cooperatively to advance education and, in doing so, improve the social and economic life of the region. This site also has information on their comprehensive school reform models, Making Middle Grades Work and Making Schools Work.

U.S. Department of Education - A great site to browse. Lots of information on government documents, programs, publications, grants, and people. The resources of the US government at your fingertips!

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AskERIC - A direct link to the searchable ERIC database. A very useful site for conducting research and gathering information. Provides many useful links to other educational organizations.

Consortium on Policy Research in Education - This consortium unites five top research institutions engaged in improving school learning. Check out current projects, publications and resources of the consortium.

Education Week - This on-line version of the weekly newspaper for educators also provides an archive of past issues and a full text version of Teachers magazine.

The Kappan - The professional journal for educators published by the Phi Delta Kappa Society provides some full text articles on line. Be sure to see their special middle-grades school issue with articles authored by Forum members Joan Lipsitz, Anthony Jackson, Hayes Mizell, and Leah Meyer Austin.

McREL's Standards and Benchmarks Database - A collection of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 education. You can browse and search this site for specific content standards. You can also access full text versions of articles about standards.

Pathways to School Improvement - Published by North Central Regional Educational Lab, this site provides resources for school improvement. You can find current research and information as well as on-line discussions on current topics in education.

TeachingQuality RESEARCH MATTERS - This electronic publication written by the Southeast Center for Teaching Quality summarizes and evaluates recent research on teacher quality for those working to improve teaching policy in their states and school districts.

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It's My Life - PBS Kids - Through games, stories, polls, and other interactivity, this web site helps middle-school aged children explore the social, emotional, and physical issues that most affect them. Includes Spanish version of selected content and a special area for parents and educators.

MidLink Magazine - An award-winning on-line magazine for middle-grades students, by middle-grades student. Kids can log on and contribute to the magazine or respond to something in the magazine.

Partnership for Family Involvement in Education - A web site to help parents and families become involved in their children's school and education.

Think College Early - Designed for students, this web site invites them to find out about what it takes and what it means to go to college. The site also includes sections designed specifically for parents, teachers, and counselors.

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