You can recommend your middle school for a place on the top list of middle schools that is being compiled for The Washington Post Magazine by contacting Jay Mathews at washingtonpost.com and letting him know why you think your school is one of the best. Although he is mainly focusing on the D.C. area, he is hoping to identify a few from other parts of the country.
Middle schools are a hot topic for 2007.
Last year, the national focus was on high schools. Bill Gates declared them a disaster area. The Bush administration and the national Governors Association announced ambitious plans to fix them.
Mr. Mathews wants to hear about anything that makes your middle school special. You can submit stories about caring teachers, special programs, or great ideas implemented in your school. Read his article "Help Pick Our Best Middle Schools" for more ideas and contact information, including his email address. He also plans a later online column to include schools that are spectacular but don't make the list.
As a former middle school teacher, this sounds like a challenging writing assignment to me. Mr. Mathews wants to hear from students too. They can include anything that they think makes their school one of the best. Since anecdotes are welcome, this could be a lot of fun. After all, middle school students have some funny stories.