This book provides middle level teachers and administrators with a rich resource on restructuring schools to help young adolescents achieve intellectual, social, and emotional success. It is a comprehensive volume that describes the leadership knowledge bases, skills, processes, and attitudes necessary for successful middle level school restructuring. Major themes in the book include: trends and issues in middle level schools; characteristics of young adolescents; middle level curriculum; instruction and assessment; successful middle level school programs; leadership skills and collaborative decision-making; school restructuring; staff development; program evaluation; and maintaining a climate for change.

Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.

With so much now expected of middle leaders in schools, this book aims to help those in middle leadership positions to become more confident and effective in their roles. It systematically considers every aspect of the role including team building, raising standards, holding others to account and managing change. With a wealth of practical guidance, the book covers the essential skills needed by middle leaders such as managing meetings, conducting difficult conversations and development planning while also offering insights into why some middle leaders are so much more effective than others. Covering all aspects of middle leadership, features include: an analysis of different leadership styles case studies written by current middle leaders in schools reflection and action points throughout This book is essential reading for secondary school teachers who are about to become middle leaders and need guidance on how to get to grips with the role. It will also be of value to existing middle leaders who want to improve their performance and effectiveness.