Thriving in the Middle School Years
March 27–28, 2025
Thursday, March 27
Location: George Sherman Union (GSU), Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, 2nd Floor
4 pm: Registration Opens
5 pm: Welcome
5:15 pm: Keynote, “Embracing YA Potential,” Jason Reynolds
Best-selling YA and middle-grades author Jason Reynolds opens the 2025 BU Wheelock Forum with a high-energy keynote focused on the narratives of middle school students. Jason will share his perspective on writing for young adults, celebrating their strength, resilience, and limitless potential.
5:40–6:10 pm: Fireside Chat, featuring Jason Reynolds, Laura Jiménez, Tina Durand, and Dean Penny Bishop (moderator)
6:15–8 pm: Reception, Poster Session, and Book Signing
Posters
- Exploring Data Science Through the Lens of Civics Education, Kaylene Stevens
- What is Named (and Unnamed): Exploring Teachers’ Beliefs about Enacting Inclusion, Zach Rossetti and Christina Dobbs
- Massachusetts School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After The Pandemic, Abigail Francis
- “A Good Teacher Cares About How You Feel”: A Qualitative Study on Early Adolescent Students’ Views on the Characteristics of Good Teachers Pei Wang and Tina Durand
- Investigating Advisory as a Space for Nurturing Early Adolescents’ Civic Development and Critical Consciousness, Christina Dobbs and Scott Seider
Friday, March 28
Location: Metcalf Trustee Center, Boston University, One Silber Way
8 am: Registration Opens
8:30 am: Welcome Remarks, Dean Penny Bishop
8:45–9:30 am: Keynote, “Through the Middle: What Middle Schoolers Teach Us About Maturing through Precarity,” Dr. Wendi Williams
Dr. Wendi Williams explores how middle schoolers navigate early adolescence, reflecting our collective challenges in a volatile, uncertain world. Through the lens of transformative leadership, she emphasizes the importance of guiding students through this phase and fostering sustainable change, not only for them but also for ourselves as we navigate an uncertain future.
9:30–10 am: Networking Break
10–11:15 am: Morning Breakout Sessions—see below for additional information
11:15–11:45 am: Lunch
11:45 am–12:45 pm: Keynote: “The World Isn’t Black and White: Supporting Critical Racial Consciousness among Middle School Students,” Tina Durand and Michael Medina
Recent attacks on concepts such as teaching race threaten students’ right to learn in equitable, supportive spaces. Tina Durand and Michael Medina will discuss how providing youth with the opportunity to think critically about race in society and their own lives is crucial in a multiracial democracy, especially during early adolescence when they are curious and hopeful for a more inclusive world.
12:45–1 pm: Break
1–2:15 pm: Afternoon Breakout Sessions—see below for additional information
2:30 pm: Program Ends
Morning Breakout Sessions
Social and Emotional Well-Being in the Middle School Years
Location: Trustee Ballroom
Code: S
Middle school has long been viewed as a turbulent developmental time, seemingly even more so post-pandemic. In this session, panelists will discuss new and emerging research reshaping our understanding of the context of bullying (which peaks in middle school years) and the importance and successful models of mental health supports in schools.
Featuring:
- Jennifer Green & Katie Parodi, panel leaders
- Donna Pincus
- Ziming Xuan
Enhancing Self-Efficacy and Career Identity in Middle School Youth
Location: Kenmore Room
Code: E
Having a sense of self and knowing what’s possible turn out to be really important influences in adolescent youth development. This panel will share practices in place and models of engagement that support middle school students in finding their way to a path of passion and success.
Featuring:
- Scott Solberg, panel leader
- Joshua Bordes
- Maria Paredes
- Angelica Rodriguez
The Importance of Rigorous Middle School Math Coursework
Location: Room 424
Code: I
To algebra or not? That is the question district leaders, state policymakers, families and students are facing these days when it comes to coursework choices in 6th through 8th grade—some districts going so far as to remove algebra altogether from the middle school sequence. In this session, panelists will review the current debate, discuss the equity implications and outcomes around various policy decisions and share new ways of thinking (informed by research) about models for supporting students.
Featuring:
- Joshua Goodman, panel leader
- Aaron Brakoniecki
- Erin Hashimoto-Martell
- Adrian Mims
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Developing Collaborative Discourse Communities in Classrooms
Location: Trustee Ballroom
Code: D
This workshop will explore how to engage students in discussions that help them develop skills in perspective-taking, collaborative discourse, and joint problem-solving in the face of uncertainty–skills that are essential for the complex problems and need for system transformation we face. Participants will hear from BU Wheelock researchers and teachers, explore tools, and talk with others about how to put tools and approaches into action.
Featuring:
- Ariel Tichnor-Wagner & Kaylene Stevens, workshop leaders
- Annabel Stoler
Reading to Learn, Learning to Engage: Literacy and the Adolescent Brain
Location: Kenmore Room
Code: R
Reading comprehension is critical for addressing pressing societal challenges, empowering individuals to critically evaluate information, make informed decisions, and actively engage in civic and social discourse. Yet, only 30% of U.S. students are proficient in reading comprehension, and 43 million adults struggle with basic text comprehension. Although middle school represents a pivotal stage where students transition from learning to read to reading to learn and build knowledge, explicit development of reading comprehension skills is often overlooked during this critical period. This session will explore the unique intersection of adolescent brain development, effective educational strategies, and the role of literacy in preparing students to navigate societal challenges.
Featuring:
- Ola Ozernov-Palchik and Lana Santoro, workshop leaders
- Sarah L. F. Burnham
Writing Physical Activity into Middle School Lesson Plans
Location: Room 424
Code: W
In the age of laptops, smart phones, iPads, smart watches, and social media, middle school teachers are up against myriad challenges for students’ attention. Weaving content-focused physical activities into lesson plans is an effective way to grab and maintain students’ attention, activate tired brains, reinforce learning, introduce concepts of social emotional learning, and attach the feeling of “fun” to classroom-based lessons. Participants will be introduced to several classroom-based physical activities and will be given the option to participate in demonstrations.
Featuring:
- Rebecca Shangraw, workshop leader