While noted anthropologist Margaret Mead wasn't referring to middle level educators, her words should certainly provide inspiration as together we face today's challenges and opportunities. Early last spring, the National Middle School Association helped organize a coalition of educational organizations to support a common legislative agenda to improve middle level education. But the coalition cannot do this alone.

You might be asking yourself, "What possible difference can one person make?" I could recount stories of famous people like Mohandas Gandhi or Mother Teresa, who often stood alone but always stood for their beliefs. Instead, I'd like to tell you about Toy Wong, a teacher from El Paso, Texas, and a former NMSA Board member. In 2003 the NMSA Board of Trustees held our spring meeting in Washington, D.C., so that we could visit Capitol Hill and speak with members of our respective legislative delegations. Toy was unable to get an appointment with her representative that day, so instead she looked for someone on the Education Committee with whom to speak. Spotting the name of a freshman representative from the nearby state of Arizona, she made an appointment to see him. Arriving at the office of Rep. Raul Grijalva, Toy was somewhat surprised but pleased to learn that the representative himself would be meeting with her. Rep. Grijalva was very interested in what Toy had to say, and the two communicated periodically during the following years. Who knows if this meeting was the impetus, but several years later, it was Rep. Grijalva who sponsored the Success in the Middle Act (HR 3406) that is now before Congress. Those of us who know Toy Wong's passion for middle grades education can't help but believe in the power of one, which she demonstrated that day.

If passed, Grijalva's Success in the Middle Act (HB 3406) and its Senate counterpart (SB 2227) sponsored by Senator Barack Obama will authorize grants to states and districts to help improve middle grades education and turn around low-performing middle schools. State plans will include the development of early identification and intervention programs designed to help those students who may not be prepared for success in high school and beyond. Many other important areas such as professional development, student support programs, and research will also be funded by this act. You can go to the NMSA Web site (www.nmsa.org) for additional information on this important legislation.

So, what influence can a single middle level educator have? Just as Toy did, you can speak out for what is best for young adolescents. Contact your senators and representatives; call them, write them, visit them. Be persistent and passionate in telling them your stories and letting them know how important this legislation would be to you and your students. But do not stop there. Passage of this act won't be the end; it will be the beginning. We must then embrace the opportunities this legislation will provide. We must collaborate with our colleagues to become that committed group that can "change the world." Only then will success in the middle be a reality for all students and not just the name of a piece of legislation.

Theresa W. Hinkle
NMSA President