Successful Middle School: Adult Advocates

This book is for anyone and everyone who cares about middle grades students. It is about one-to-one relationships as much as it is about programs and policies that support those one-to-one relationships. For use by individuals and school teams, this book provides research-backed explanations for what it means to be an advocate for middle grades students, how to earn the trust of adolescents, and how to establish healthy boundaries to protect youth and you.

A companion guide to The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, this text includes helpful language for communicating what it means to be an adult advocate at school to everyone invested in the growth and development of your middle grades students.

Readers are guided through this journey by the book’s three parts:

  • Part 1 lays the foundation by exploring why relationships matter at school and how adults can foster academic engagement and growth while also supporting social and emotional development.

  • Part 2 establishes the qualities of an adult advocate at school, including how to make oneself accessible and provide care while maintaining healthy boundaries.

  • Part 3 concludes with practical advice on how to assess adult-student connections, design experiences that promote belonging and trust, and set and communicate expectations.

The Successful Middle School: Adult Advocates

Readers will find research and real-world stories, theoretical frameworks and implementable strategies. Whether you are a district-level leader, a teacher, a school counselor, a paraprofessional, an advisor, or a coach, and whether you are a veteran educator, or a novice, this book offers tips and tools for setting up healthy spaces, strengthening teams and communities, and ensuring that every student in your care can name at least one adult advocate at school.