Middle School Work

The middle grades are the bridge between who students are and who they’re becoming — and they deserve leaders who understand that transition. Given Chris’ experience working with middle schools of all types and working with leaders to remove many from state designated low performing lists, Leading Forward offers specialized professional learning and coaching for middle school principals, assistant principals, and leadership teams focused on turning vision into systems that work.

Drawing from The Middle School Playbook, this work helps schools build:

• Collaborative leadership teams with shared accountability

• Structures that support adolescent learners’ academic and social-emotional growth

• Coherent systems for intervention, enrichment, and student agency

• Cultures where staff and students feel connected, capable, and challenged

Professional learning should move schools forward — not add noise or another initiative. Each session is designed to strengthen leadership, build clarity, and support the systems your school needs to ensure every student learns at high levels.

Every offering is intentionally designed and customized to meet the specific goals, challenges, and priorities of your middle school. Whether you’re building stronger collaborative teams, refining MTSS structures, aligning curriculum and assessment, or developing your leadership team’s capacity, the work is shaped around your context and grounded in practical, sustainable implementation.

From single-day workshops to long-term partnerships, Leading Forward provides purposeful support that helps schools create aligned, high-performing systems where both teachers and students can thrive. Click the button below to review Leading Forward professional learning offerings that we can tailor to your school’s specific needs!