The Middle School Playbook: High-Impact Leadership Strategies to Ensure Peak Performance (A practical guide to leading middle schools well)

Middle school leadership is complex and deeply human. Drawing on his experience as a middle school principal, Chris Bennett provides a practical guide for principals navigating constant change. His approach helps leadership teams make thoughtful decisions—and encourages principals to create a school culture where students feel supported and engaged. Bennett’s guidance equips teams to foster steady growth and lasting impact at this critical stage. New and veteran middle school leaders can use this book to: Create working schedules that facilitate school operations and maximize student learning Design support systems to guide students through transitions in their educational journeys Use extracurricular activities and mentoring relationships to promote student agency Build stronger leadership teams by collaborating on decisions and solutions Grow and sustain educator teams via improved hiring and professional development Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Designing Middle School Structures Chapter 2: Building Bridges to, from, and within Middle School Chapter 3: Developing and Fostering Student Agency in Middle School Chapter 4: Using Collaborative Problem Solving and Data-Driven Decision Making in Middle School Chapter 5: Hiring, Supporting, and Retaining Middle School Staff Epilogue References and Resources Index