A former middle school teacher and administrator argues that districts too often treat middle school leadership as a rung between jobs. She says the better move is building a pipeline from middle-school-trained educators—through internal leadership tracks, men
For years. the middle school “bug” grabbed at the edges of Jen Schwanke’s work—first as a teacher. later as an administrator. She remembers the moment it became more than a career choice. In graduate school. a professor opened class with a blunt. almost thrilling reality: aside from infancy. adolescence is the only period where the brain. body. and emotions change so rapidly.
“It’s wild! Isn’t it?” Dr. Foster said, excited, gesturing as if the point could be felt in the air. He framed it as an honor—teaching students in a vulnerable window, where the difference adults make can be real.
Schwanke says she still believes that. And she builds her argument from there: if middle school is uniquely demanding, then districts shouldn’t be so casual about who leads it.
The question she keeps returning to is simple, and it lands like a challenge—are districts selecting the right principals for the middle school job?
In her experience meeting “thousands of middle school educators,” she says most feel deeply connected to the journey: they love the students’ awkwardness, growth, and extraordinary mindsets. They specialize in the highs and lows of being a middle schooler in the world.
So why, she asks, does a common recruitment habit persist—looking at high school assistant principals and weighing whether they might “move down” to lead a middle school before they “move up” to high school leadership?
That language matters, she argues, because it carries assumptions about how middle school is valued and what leadership it requires. She’s careful not to dismiss the skills that come with high school and elementary backgrounds. “Master scheduling and foundational literacy come to mind,” she writes, and she says leaders with those backgrounds bring real strengths.
But Schwanke proposes a missing piece: middle-level training and experience cultivates a specialized “superpower” that complements leadership skills schools need right now.
Her prescription is direct. If districts truly want to support the middle level child—and the teachers and leaders who dedicate their careers to them—she argues for intentionally cultivating a leadership pipeline from within their middle school-trained teaching staff.
The heart of the case is what middle schoolers want, and what they need teachers and principals to understand. Schwanke insists a middle schooler isn’t simply a “big 5th grader” or a “small 9th grader.” Middle schoolers want separation from elementary constraints. They also want to be considered more independent and capable.
At the same time, she says, they know they aren’t ready for high school responsibilities or content.
She points to the range she has seen: middle schoolers dabbling in very adult things. and middle schoolers happily playing with childhood toys. But across that spectrum. Schwanke says many middle schoolers want the same essentials—autonomy. belonging. and learning that feels less scripted and more exploratory.
A leader trained for that stage, she writes, knows how to guide teachers, parents, and students through “tumultuous adolescence” with empathy and skill.
Her example is Tara, whom Schwanke describes as an “extraordinary middle school principal.” Each year, Schwanke says, Tara hosts a meeting with sixth grade parents to introduce them to the school’s staff, curriculum, and programming. At the end of the meeting, Tara tells parents directly:
“Being the parent of a middle schooler is not an easy thing to do. I’d like to warn you: Of the three years your child will be with us. it is possible that there will be one really bad year. Friendships will be difficult. School will be hard. Relationships will feel amplified and fraught. Remind yourself, and remind your child, that a bad year is but one stop in a long, rich life.”.
Schwanke presents the moment as more than reassurance. She says Tara is trained in the ways of young adolescent learners. and that she recognizes. understands. and communicates the perseverance required to work with the challenges of that age. Schwanke adds that Tara provides emotional regulation for her entire community, in addition to managing and leading.
From that vantage point, Schwanke urges districts to tap middle school educators as potential leaders instead of treating the middle school role as something to be filled while waiting for a future promotion.
She calls it a kind of “hierarchy fallacy”—the assumption that leadership legitimacy flows in a straight line from elementary to middle to high, rather than from specialized understanding.
And then she moves to the logistical reality districts face: most states require a specialized license to become a principal, with some programs taking “a couple years” to complete. That means districts shouldn’t scramble when a leadership opening appears.
Her advice is built around earlier attention. She tells some teachers: “It’s one thing if a door opens and you don’t want to walk through. It’s another thing if the door opens and you want to walk through – but you don’t even have your shoes on.”
In her view, the leadership pipeline has to start before the need is urgent—and it has to be shaped so middle school educators can realistically step into licensure and training.
Schwanke lays out practical steps for how a district can “grow your own”:
She says districts should identify natural leaders by looking for teachers who have a “heart for the middle” and an aptitude for leadership. She points teachers toward a set of questions, including: Do they believe deeply in the middle school child’s potential?. Do they have a strong work ethic?. Do they enjoy cultivating student choice and autonomy?. Do their colleagues like and respect the work they do?.
She also recommends creating micro-leadership opportunities—grade-level leads, department heads, or PLC facilitators specifically focused on middle-level pedagogy. Her list of supports includes job-embedded support for teacher leaders. openly discussing the critical importance of shared leadership. and celebrating and highlighting the work of in-house leaders.
Mentoring and shadowing are another track. She writes that districts should connect aspiring middle-level leaders with veteran principals who champion the middle school philosophy. She emphasizes that mentors should encourage and develop teacher leaders. and that aspiring leaders should be given opportunities to feel both the challenge and the success that comes with leadership.
For districts that need help turning interest into credentialing, she urges university or agency partnerships. She suggests connecting local or online universities to develop a cohort model for middle school teachers interested in securing their administration licenses. She also notes tools districts can use to reduce barriers: fee waivers, tuition reimbursement, or scholarship programs. And she adds a practical safeguard—providing field experiences within the school day so teachers don’t take on licensure work at the cost of already overloaded schedules.
Her closing is tailored to what districts actually look like. She writes that every school and district is unique. For small districts, she says taking just one of these steps might be enough. For large districts, appointing someone to oversee an official leadership training program might make more sense.
But regardless of size, she returns to the same goal: identify and encourage middle school experts to see themselves as potential school-level leaders.
Schwanke ends where she started, with Dr. Foster’s framing of middle school as an honor. Thirty years after sitting in his class, she writes that she’s the one gesticulating—now focused on middle school teachers, leaders, and the opportunity that comes with middle school work.
She argues that specialized leadership leads to more stable. thriving schools. and she leaves the reader with a direction that’s both professional and personal: “Let’s look inward – not ‘up’ or ‘down’ – to empower the experts who are already there – thriving in the hallways. leading in the classrooms. and truly seeing the middle school child.”.
middle school leadership principal licensure leadership pipeline teacher leadership adolescence school administration mentoring PLc facilitators job-embedded support