DESIGNING MIDDLE SCHOOLS FOR A NEW GENERATION
How We Help
Reimagining Middle School to Better Serve Today’s Learners
Today’s learners are not those of the last half-century. Middle school students today navigate adolescence in an era of social media and constant digital connection, have heightened mental health needs, are more dissatisfied and disengaged with school, and feel more isolated and less connected to peers and teachers than ever before.
Likewise, middle schools today confront different challenges, including stalled post-pandemic recovery, heightened mental health needs, persistent achievement gaps, declining enrollment, tighter budgets, and rising expectations. Simply put, they face the challenge of addressing greater student needs with a narrower set of tools and resources.
To meet the evolving needs of a new era and a new generation of students, an updated model for middle school is needed—one that leverages the strengths of traditional design with a reimagined approach relevant and impactful for today’s students. Fortunately, research-backed, system-level strategies exist to help school and district leaders build on the strengths of the traditional middle school model to rethink how schools support young adolescents by strengthening core instruction, broadening opportunities for students, and using time and resources more strategically to boost learning and engagement over the long term.
Our Services
At New Solutions K12, we help school, district, and state education agency teams redesign middle school models to better serve a new generation of students and educators. We bring deeply practical solutions and practices based on our team’s work with over 100 middle schools nationally and the latest research on what drives adolescent academic achievement and well-being.
Intensive Middle School Redesign Support
New Solutions K12’s Intensive Middle School Redesign Support helps leaders reimagine and realign their middle school model to support district goals, raise achievement, and increase student engagement in a sustainable way. Our team of experts will help tackle the system-level structures—time, staffing, schedules, and programming—that shape the middle school experience.
In-Depth Analysis of Schedules and Academic Programming: We analyze course and enrollment data to identify patterns and understand how the student experience varies across grade levels, student groups, or schools. This detailed analysis helps reveal gaps in opportunity and highlights areas where access to resources or educational opportunities should be expanded. We pair this with surveys and focus groups to capture the student and teacher experience, so redesign decisions rest on both evidence and voice.
Collaborative Exploration of a New Model: With clear priorities in hand, we guide leaders through an inclusive, iterative design process. We bring a national perspective on middle school models—from teaming structures to advisory systems to interdisciplinary pathways—and help districts weigh tradeoffs, test ideas, and select approaches that fit their goals, resources, and community.
Strategic Redesign of Schedules and Staffing Structures: We collaborate with leaders to redesign master schedules that cost-effectively improve the experiences of both students and educators. This process includes reevaluating how time is allocated to students and teachers, reassessing and refocusing staff roles, and making adjustments to school budgets to better align with a new vision. We also provide training for school leadership teams, ensuring they have the tools needed to sustain these changes and adapt over time.
What You’ll Gain
A concrete set of systemic shifts that strengthen both academic outcomes and student belonging
Cost-effective scheduling and staffing solutions that don’t extend the school day or add new positions
A shared vision, grounded in data and stakeholder voice, for what middle school should look like in their community
Our Approach to Designing Middle Schools for a New Generation
Want to learn more about the strategies we recommend for districts, schools, and state education agencies looking to design middle schools for a new generation of students and educators?
Let’s Get Started
Our team of consultants and experienced district leaders is here to help design a middle school that better meets the needs of a new generation of students and educators. We are happy to connect to discuss your unique circumstances, needs, and goals.
Fill out the form below and Nathan Levenson or David James will write back to you shortly.