Innovative Strategies for Middle School Engagement I An Interview with Principal Heather Mull Miller
Back in early 2023, Principal Heather Mull Miller (2020 Neubauer Fellow, Cohort 6) noticed a troubling trend while reviewing her students’ academic data. Her school, William H. Hunter School, a K-8 District school serving 385 students, showed a significant drop in student success among her 6th through 8th graders, despite strong performance in K-5. “I had thought that if I really focused on growing my K-5 kids and making them great students, that their academic growth would trickle up and they would become great middle schoolers. That wasn’t the case,” Miller explained.
To tackle this challenge, Miller developed a multi-pronged approach combining student-driven incentives and community-building tailored to middle schoolers. The incentive program began with a single enticement: a roller-skating trip for students who scored green or blue on their math or reading assessments. The enthusiastic response and significant increase in academic achievement encouraged Miller to expand the program. The trick was that incentives needed to be student driven. “We asked the kids, ‘What do you really want to do?’ and at the time they were really excited about Rolling Thunder! So, we did it. For the spring incentive, we’re doing a water park party at the school. They’ve seen all these TikTok videos where students dunk their principal, so we’ll have water balloons and I’m even going to do the dunk tank,” she shared.
Recognizing the unique needs of middle schoolers, Miller focused on creating a sense of belonging and community, particularly important post-COVID. She designated the third floor of the school exclusively for middle school students, complete with its own branding, and created a separate hot breakfast time just for them. “We have a whole different logo for Hunter Middle School that we use on special shirts, lanyards, stickers for the kids. But because we’re dealing with middle schoolers, we made sure that when we designed the logo it was edgy and cool, so the kids feel grown-up. We didn’t want it to feel cartoony,” Miller explained.
Miller also introduced middle-school-only multi-grade elective classes on Wednesdays, including creative writing, the history of hip-hop, watercolor, and journalism. “The elective classes are a low lift for teachers that allows both teachers to see students outside their classrooms and students to make friends in other grades,” she noted. Buy-in was built by allowing students to direct their elective choices. “We do a Google form with all the elective options, kids choose their top three, and then we roster the kids,” she added.
The results have been promising, with a significant reduction in the number of students requiring intensive intervention and improved academic performance across the board. Miller said that since launching Hunter Middle School, students scoring in the lowest performance category for math (intensive intervention) have decreased by 9.2%. Simultaneously, Miller has seen her middle schoolers’ math and ELA test scores grow at above network-average rates. “We are very proud of the work we have done to move kids out of the lowest tier,” Miller said. Her approach highlights the importance of understanding and addressing the unique needs of middle school students, creating a supportive and engaging environment that fosters both academic and personal growth.
Miller emphasized the importance of data in driving these initiatives, crediting her Neubauer Fellowship for this approach. By closely monitoring attendance, academic performance, and behavioral metrics, she identified areas for improvement and tailored interventions accordingly. “Joe Neubauer instilled the idea that principals needed to think like entrepreneurs, that innovation is always encouraged. I didn’t get more resources. I didn’t get a grant. I didn’t work with a partner. I just took what I had and reworked it to make sure what I already had served students in a more meaningful and impactful way,” she said.
While innovating as an entrepreneur inspired Miller’ work, her motivation ultimate came from her experiences as a mother. “My Neubauer Fellowship Story of Self was largely around my motherhood, so I constantly approach the work with the fact that all my students are someone else’s child. It’s a huge responsibility and an absolute honor that someone else trusts me with their baby. I send my kids to school every day and cross my fingers that somebody like me is attending to their needs the way that I can attend to other people’s children.”
Our Leaders & Learners Corner profiles Neubauer Fellows, current and senior, and the unique initiatives they’ve championed in their schools. For more, read our recent interview with Principal David Lon (2022 Neubauer Fellow, Cohort 7).