Ring Lardner Middle School

Ring Lardner Middle School serves 575 students in grades seven and eight. Built in 1965, our school was named in honor of Ringgold Wilmer Lardner, who in the 1920's was one of America's best-known journalists and writers. In 1998, Ring Lardner transformed itself from a traditional junior high to a school that embraced the middle school philosophy. Teaming, flexible scheduling, support programs, and exploratory course offerings were developed to create learning experiences that would further students' social, emotional, and intellectual development. These changes were created in partnership with parents and community organizations. They have produced a nurturing, caring, and stable environment. Change continues to be the operative word here at Ring Lardner Middle School. Like all schools, we are facing new challenges as a result of increased accountability and shifting demands. In 2003, we began to explore ways to further ensure that the academic needs of all students are being met. Looping, curriculum maps, common assessments, remediation, and literacy skills programs were developed to better allow us to answer three critical questions. 1. What is it we want students to know and be able to do? 2. How will we know if they learned it? 3. What will we do if they don't? Our success in meeting student needs results from a teaching staff that is willing to treat each child as a unique individual. A commitment to collaboration, the use of data, reflective inquiry, program coherence, and student achievement will continue to be at the forefront of everything we do.