The Middle School Culture Blueprint series-Episode 1
One of the unexpected gifts of this season has been the opportunity to gather Catholic educators and leaders from across the nation in meaningful conversation. As Dr. LaTonya White and I continue our work on The Middle School Culture Blueprint, I have been provided a good opportunity to reflect on and be reminded that some of the most powerful professional learning happens when educators come together in fellowship, share what they are seeing in the field, and reflect honestly on what students and teachers need most. There is something deeply hopeful about bringing people together who serve in different schools and dioceses, yet carry the same commitment to helping students feel seen, supported, and loved.
The middle school years are so unique. Students are navigating understanding themselves, belonging, friendship, independence, emotion, peer pressure, and academic growth, often all in the same day. Those who serve middle school students understand that this work requires patience, humor, flexibility, structure, compassion, and joy. It also requires intentionality. What we do at the school level is so important. How we welcome teachers back, how we build routines, how we create opportunities for student voice, how we communicate with families, and how we support one another as teams all help shape the culture students experience.
This is why I am so grateful for the educators and leaders who have said yes to engaging in this conversation. They are not coming together to offer perfect answers. They are coming together to share reflections from the field, practical strategies, lived experience, and wisdom rooted in service. These conversations are supported by the literature that school culture is not built only through programs or plans. It is built in the daily interactions, team meetings, hallway moments, classroom routines, and faithful decisions made by educators who care deeply about the students placed before them.
Pulling educators together to share ideas is, quite honestly, fun. It is also cultivating joy in my own life. To listen to teachers and leaders speak with such love for their students, their colleagues, and Catholic education is a reminder that good is happening every day in our schools.
When we create space for fellowship and conversation, we strengthen one another.
Fellowship reminds us that we are not doing this work alone. It is also a wonderful way to see how much wisdom already exists within the people serving on our campuses and in our diocesan communities.
I hope this work encourages school leaders to create similar spaces on their own campuses. Before the year begins, make time not only for logistics, but also for fellowship and table talk.
Invite teachers to reflect on what students need most. Ask teams what they want students to experience consistently across classrooms. Create room for laughter, honest conversation, prayer, and planning. When educators are given time to connect as people before they plan as professionals, the culture of the school is already being strengthened.
I am grateful to host this important conversation in Episode 1 of Middle School Culture Blueprint: Reflections from the Field: Creating a Positive Start to the 2026–2027 School Year. It is a privilege to welcome Dr. Nancy Baker, Mary Peters, Lynsie Reavis, Karina Lepkowski, and Tricia Florance as we reflect together on practical ways to support middle school teachers, students, families, and leaders. May these conversations continue to help us notice, name, and share the good happening in Catholic education.
You can also listen to these conversations anywhere you enjoy your podcasts.
Since 2012, I have shared resources via this Unlock the Teacher blog focusing on positive comments, praise, and how to create positive classroom environments with a reminder that words matter! Since that time, these posts have received more than 1.3 million views. This continued reach has reinforced something I have believed throughout my years in education, that teachers and school leaders are searching for practical language that helps them recognize the good in students.
Positive words can encourage students and strengthen relationships. Yet, as our understanding of school culture continues to grow, we are also invited to think more deeply about the messages our words communicate.
Our comments can do more than acknowledge appropriate behavior, completed work, or academic performance. They can communicate:
I see you.
I value your ideas.
Your voice matters.
You are capable of growth.
You are an important member of this community.
You belong here.
School connectedness exists when students believe that the adults and peers in their school care about them as individuals and care about their learning. This sense of being valued, supported, and included is associated with stronger engagement, attendance, academic outcomes, and overall well-being.
Relationships are not built only through large programs or special events. They are shaped through daily interactions: the greeting at the classroom door, the response to a student’s question, the note written on an assignment, the conversation following a mistake, and the words chosen when a student takes a risk.
Research on relationship-centered classrooms emphasizes the importance of authentic affirmation, active listening, student agency, and opportunities for young people to know that their voices are taken seriously.
Student voice is more than allowing students to speak. It includes providing meaningful opportunities for them to influence their learning, make choices, offer feedback, participate in decisions, and see that their contributions can lead to action.
This updated educator toolkit offers 90 positive comments organized around nine dimensions of belonging. The statements can be adapted for:
Daily classroom conversations
Written feedback
Student conferences
Report cards and progress reports
Notes or messages sent home
Family conferences
Advisory periods
Morning meetings
Restorative conversations
Celebrations of student growth
These comments are not intended to become generic scripts or empty praise. They are starting points. The most powerful affirmations are sincere, specific, timely, and connected to something an educator has genuinely noticed.
1. Welcoming Every Student
I am glad you are here today.
Your presence adds something important to our classroom.
You are an important member of this learning community.
There is a place for your ideas in this classroom.
I appreciate the energy you brought into the room today.
I noticed that you came in ready to participate and contribute.
Your experiences help our class learn and grow.
You do not have to know every answer to belong in this classroom.
Thank you for bringing your ideas, interests, and questions with you.
Our classroom community is stronger because you are part of it.
2. Recognizing Identity and Voice
Your perspective helped us see this topic differently.
Thank you for sharing an idea that was important to you.
You expressed your thinking with honesty and confidence.
Your experiences give you insights that can help others learn.
I appreciate how clearly you explained the reasoning behind your opinion.
You asked us to consider something we had not discussed before.
Your voice helped shape the direction of our conversation.
You found a meaningful way to communicate your ideas.
You advocated for yourself respectfully and clearly.
Your contribution showed that there can be more than one valuable way to understand a topic.
3. Encouraging Effort and Growth
I can see the growth you have made since you began this work.
You used feedback to strengthen your thinking.
You tried a new strategy when your first approach did not work.
You asked for the support you needed to move forward.
You stayed engaged even when the work became challenging.
You set a goal and took meaningful steps toward reaching it.
You are learning how to recognize which strategies work best for you.
You took ownership of your learning today.
You made a thoughtful choice about how to improve your work.
Your progress shows what can happen when you remain open to learning.
4. Affirming Curiosity and Courage
Your question helped deepen our learning.
You were willing to say that you did not understand, and that took courage.
You respectfully challenged an idea and encouraged us to think more carefully.
You took an academic risk by sharing your thinking before you were certain that you for trusting our class.
You followed your curiosity and discovered something new.
You explored more than one possible answer.
You made a connection that helped bring this concept to life.
You were open to revising your thinking when you encountered new information.
You asked for evidence instead of simply accepting an answer.
Your curiosity helped make today’s learning more meaningful for everyone.
5. Strengthening Collaboration
You made room for another person’s voice.
You listened to understand, not simply to respond.
You built upon a classmate’s idea in a respectful way.
You helped your group identify a path forward.
You disagreed respectfully while remaining open to another perspective.
You asked a question that encouraged someone else to participate.
You used your strengths to support the work of the group.
You accepted responsibility for your part of the team’s work.
You noticed when the group needed encouragement and offered it.
You helped your team move forward without taking over the work.
6. Recognizing Kindness and Care
You noticed that someone needed support and chose to help.
The care you showed helped another person feel valued.
You included someone who might otherwise have felt left out.
You treated another person’s ideas with dignity and respect.
You chose kindness even when the situation was difficult.
You helped create a space where someone felt comfortable asking a question.
You offered a sincere apology and worked to repair the relationship.
You celebrated someone else’s success without taking attention away from them.
Your words helped another person feel encouraged.
You showed empathy by trying to understand how someone else might be feeling.
7. Building Responsibility and Trust
I can depend on you to follow through on your commitments.
You completed the responsibility you accepted.
You made a responsible choice, even when no one was reminding you.
You used your time in a way that supported your learning.
You took care of our shared space and materials.
You were honest about what happened and helped us find a solution.
You recognized when you needed assistance and asked for it.
You accepted responsibility for your choice without blaming someone else.
You came prepared and ready to contribute.
You used your independence while also knowing when to seek guidance.
8. Supporting Resilience and Reflection
You paused to think before deciding what to do next.
You did not allow one difficult moment to define the rest of your day.
You changed your approach when you realized something was not working.
You identified what you needed in order to begin again.
You recognized a challenge and made a plan for addressing it.
You gave yourself time to learn instead of expecting immediate perfection.
You used a mistake as information for your next step.
You returned to the work after feeling frustrated.
You were patient with yourself while learning something new.
You reflected honestly on your choices and identified how you would respond differently next time.
9. Creating Classroom Community
Your actions helped make our classroom more welcoming.
You helped create a space where others felt comfortable participating.
You contributed an idea that improved our classroom community.
You invited others to help make a decision.
You reminded us of the expectations we created together.
You helped our class solve a problem in a fair and respectful way.
You shared a strength or talent that enriched our learning.
You helped us recognize and celebrate someone else’s growth.
You made a choice that supported both your learning and the learning of others.
You showed through your actions that everyone has something meaningful to contribute.
Moving From Praise to Partnership
Positive comments become even more powerful when they invite students to recognize their own growth. Instead of ending the interaction after an affirmation, educators can add a reflective question.
For example:
You stayed engaged even when the assignment became difficult. What helped you keep going?
You made room for another person’s voice. What did you notice about the group after you did that?
You tried a new strategy when the first one did not work. How did you decide what to try next?
Your perspective helped us see the topic differently. What gave you the confidence to share it?
You advocated for yourself respectfully. How might you use that skill in another situation?
These questions move the conversation from adult approval to student reflection. As an educator, you are identifing something meaningful, and the student is invited to name the choices, strategies, and strengths that contributed to the outcome.
Over time, this approach can help students develop the language to say:
I know how I learn.
I can make thoughtful choices.
I can ask for what I need.
I can contribute to my community.
I can grow.
A Belonging-Centered Comment Checklist
Words Help Shape Culture
Positive language does not mean ignoring mistakes, avoiding difficult conversations, or removing accountability. Belonging-centered classrooms maintain clear expectations while communicating that a student’s mistake does not remove the student from the community.
Students need to hear more than what they should stop doing. They also need language that helps them understand what they are doing well, how they are growing, how their choices affect others, and how they can contribute.
There will always be a need to redirect behavior, offer correction, and establish boundaries. The question is whether students also hear:
-I believe you can make a different choice.
-You are still an important member of this community.
-Let us think together about what happened.
-What do you need to move forward?
-How can you help repair the situation?
-I am here to help you begin again.
The language educators use becomes part of the environment students experience each day. A carefully chosen comment may appear to be a small gesture, but to a student, it can communicate something much larger:
My teacher sees me.
My ideas matter.
I am capable.
I have choices.
I can make a difference.
I belong here.
As educators prepare classrooms, develop lessons, establish routines, and welcome students into a new year of learning, may we also prepare the language we will use.
Belonging is strengthened one interaction at a time.
When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
References and Additional Resources
Ball, D. M. (2012, July 22). 100 positive comments to utilize when referencing student behavior. Unlock the Teacher.
Middle school students are standing at a unique crossroads. They are navigating growth, identity, friendship, independence, belonging, peer influence, and the desire to be seen and known. For educators and school leaders, this means the beginning of the school year is more than a calendar event. It is an opportunity to intentionally create a culture where students feel safe, supported, challenged, and connected.
In the work Dr. LaTonya White and I are developing through The Middle School Culture Blueprint, we continue to return to the importance of designing culture with purpose, not leaving it to chance. As noted in our framework, middle school culture is strengthened when belonging, clarity, coherence, and formation are intentionally supported across classrooms, teams, and schoolwide systems (Ball & White, 2026).
This work also connects deeply to my earlier research on teacher retention and school climate, which affirmed the importance of communication, collaboration, leadership support, and a positive school climate in helping teachers remain committed to their school communities (Ball, 2023). When middle school teachers feel supported, aligned, and prepared, they are better able to create classroom environments where students can flourish. That is why tuning in to middle school students must also include tuning in to the teachers and teams who serve them each day. How leaders welcome faculty and staff back matters. The rhythm leaders create before students arrive can shape the tone, trust, and energy of the entire school year.
One simple strategy school leaders can use is a Welcome Back Reflection Checklist before the first faculty meeting or middle school team gathering. Before launching into schedules, logistics, and tasks, pause and ask:
Have we created time for fellowship?
Have we provided space for teachers to reconnect as people before they plan as professionals?
Have we built in table talk around what our students need most this year?
Have we clarified the language, routines, and non-negotiables we want students to experience across classrooms?
Have we invited teachers to name what they need in order to begin well?
These questions can help leaders move from information-sharing to culture-building. I invite you to watch or listen on August 5 as I host Middle School Culture Blueprint: Reflections from the Field: Creating a Positive Start to the 2026–2027 School Year. I am honored to welcome Dr. Nancy Baker, Lynsie Reavis, Tricia Florance, Mary Peters, and Karina Lepkowski for a meaningful conversation on this important topic.
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
References Ball, D. M. (2023). Improving teacher retention within Archdiocese of Washington schools [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University]. Scholars Crossing. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5006/ Ball, D. M., & White, L. (2026). The Middle School Culture Blueprint: Practical Strategies to Support Teachers, Engage Students, and Build Stronger Teams. Manuscript in development.
From the top of the Oxford Castle mound, I paused to take in the view and reflect on the extraordinary gift of the week.
Once again, I had been given the privilege of presenting research at the Oxford Education Research Symposium, surrounded by scholars from across the United States and around the world. To be welcomed into that community as a researcher remains deeply humbling.
Thank you to the Oxford Research 2026 Team who said, “yes” to join me on this journey this year:
Dr. Nicci Dowd, Marymount University;
Dr. Joy Roberts, Co-founder of Friendzy. Co;
Dr. Julie Cantillon, Senior Vice President of Professional Learning, ADAC, Inc.;
Noreen Bryan, Chief Communications Officer, NCC, Washington, D.C.; and
Dr. Julie Widman, Co-Founder of Friendzy. Co.
I found myself thinking about the questions that had been raised, the wisdom nuggets I had gathered, and the many scholars whose work challenged me to remain curious. I also reflected on the relationships that had formed through meals, presentations, walks through Oxford, and conversations that continued long after each formal session ended.
We Are Always Learning
Before leaving Oxford, I recorded a short reflection from the Castle mound. I then invited three remarkable scholars to share what they were taking away from the week:
Nicci, Joy, and I presented our research on professional learning as an infrastructure mechanism to support teacher retention. Ali presented her work on the intersection of literacy and nature place-based learning as a transformative pedagogical approach to K-12 education.
I wanted to bring their reflections together in one video, which presented another opportunity for me to learn.
With some very helpful guidance, I learned how to use Google video editing to splice two recordings together. There will always be something else to learn. Perhaps that is part of the message I am carrying home from Oxford., to never lose the gift of curiosity. Learning is just SO much fun!
The Oxford Education Research Symposium brings together scholars, educators, researchers, practitioners, and leaders who are committed to advancing the theory and practice of education. The breadth of scholarship shared during the 2026 Symposium was extraordinary. Each presenter brought a different perspective, research interest, institutional context, and lived experience into the room.
I was inspired by every researcher who had the courage to stand before colleagues and share work that mattered deeply to them. Although I could never capture every presentation in one reflection, I made special note of several scholars whose work, questions, and presence gave me something to continue thinking about:
Dr. Michael G. MacDonald, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor, Canada
Dr. Anne Moll, Dean; Dr. Chris Harnden, Director of Human Services; and Sarah Fedishen, Human Services Internship Coordinator, from Colorado Mountain College, USA
Meri Nasilyan, Course Director in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom
Dr. Michael Gerard Mason, Staff Psychotherapist at the University of Virginia, USA
Dr. Abigail O. Akande, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Services at Penn State Abington, USA
Dr. Jamon Flowers and Dr. Juanita Johnson-Bailey from the University of Georgia, USA
Dr. Rosalinda Larios, Associate Professor of Special Education at California State University, Fullerton, USA
Dr. Jocelyn L. N. Wong, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the Faculty of Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Dr. Alvera H. McMillan, Education Specialist with the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program at Louisiana State University, USA
Dr. Claude Hutto, Dean and Assistant Vice Provost for the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies at Morehouse College, USA
Dr. Cara Chang, Associate Professor of English at Leeward Community College within the University of Hawaiʻi System, USA
Irodakhon Gulamova, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at New Uzbekistan University, Uzbekistan
This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it intended as a ranking of the presentations. It is simply a small window into the range of scholars, institutions, countries, disciplines, and perspectives represented during the week. Each name in my notes represents a person who was willing to ask a question, examine an issue, gather evidence, and contribute to our collective understanding of education.
Research Becomes More Powerful Through Relationships
The formal presentations were central to the Symposium, but some of the most meaningful learning also occurred around the presentations.
It happened when someone asked a thoughtful question, when a scholar approached another presenter to continue a conversation, and during meals, walks, and informal moments when professional titles became less important, and people began sharing the stories behind their research.
These encounters are reminders that research is not meant to remain isolated within a presentation, paper, or institution. Research becomes more powerful when it creates conversation. It becomes more meaningful when it connects people. It becomes transformational when it is translated into practices that serve others.
This is especially important for those of us studying schools, educators, leadership, belonging, professional learning, and school culture. Behind every data point is a person, behind every finding is a story, and behind every recommendation is an opportunity to improve the experience of an educator, student, family, school, or community.
What Am I Carrying Home? I am carrying home renewed curiosity. As educators and leaders, may we never take curiosity for granted. Curiosity keeps us asking better questions. It invites us to listen before assuming. It opens us to perspectives that may be different from our own.
I am carrying home gratitude…
I remain grateful for my Oxford Symposia 2026 Research Team and the JOY of working alongside scholars who are committed to using research in service to the profession. I am grateful for every person who shared an idea, asked a question, offered encouragement, or helped me see an issue through a different lens.
I am carrying home a deeper responsibility.
Presenting research is an honor, but the presentation itself cannot be the final destination. The greater responsibility is to consider what we will do with what we have learned.
How will this research support educators?
How might it strengthen leadership?
How can it help schools become places where people experience trust, belonging, purpose, and joy?
How will we translate scholarship into action?
An Invitation to Listen
Rather than interpret the reflections shared by Nicci, Joy, and Ali, I invite you to hear their wisdom in their own words.
You can watch our Oxford Symposia 2026 reflection on the Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball YouTube channel and listen anywhere you find your favorite podcasts.
Please feel welcome to visit my YouTube channel and explore other conversations and reflections on belonging, school culture, leadership, faith, gratitude, and the joy of the work.
I am still learning how to navigate this new platform. I am learning how to record, edit, splice videos, correct captions, and share messages in new ways. I will undoubtedly make mistakes along the way. I appreciate the grace and any feedback or words of wisdom you would like to share.
Carrying the Learning Forward: The Middle School Culture Blueprint
One of the gifts of gathering with researchers from around the world is the opportunity to return to our own work with renewed curiosity, clarity, and purpose. As I leave Oxford, one project at the forefront of my mind is The Middle School Culture Blueprint, a manuscript Dr. LaTonya White and I are developing to support middle school educators and leaders as they intentionally create cultures where both students and adults can thrive.
The project is grounded in research, literature, feedback from the field, and the lived experiences of educators who understand the unique joys and challenges of serving middle school students. Our hope is to offer more than a collection of ideas. We are working to develop a practical, research-informed framework that can help school communities establish shared expectations, strengthen relationships, build belonging, and create a positive rhythm for the school year.
On August 5th, tune in to listen to Middle School Culture Blueprint: Creating a Positive Start to the 2026-2027 School Year with reflections from the field.
Reflections from the Field
On August 5, the Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball channel will feature a special conversation:
Middle School Culture Blueprint: Reflections from the Field, Creating a Positive Start to the 2026-2027 School Year.
I will be joined by an outstanding panel of Catholic school educators and leaders who bring wisdom from the classroom, school leadership, diocesan service, and professional formation:
Lynsie Reavis, Director for Educational Programs, Catholic Schools Office, Archdiocese of Washington
Tricia Florance, Teacher, Most Holy Trinity Academy, Archdiocese of Detroit
Karina Lepkowski, Principal, Most Holy Trinity, Archdiocese of Detroit
Mary Frances Peters, Teacher, St. Anne’s Catholic School, Archdiocese of Detroit
Dr. Nancy Baker, Principal, School of the Incarnation, Archdiocese of Baltimore
Their voices are essential to this work!
Research and literature can provide important foundations, but educators working directly with students, teachers, and families help us understand how ideas are experienced in actual school communities. Their reflections will help us explore what teachers and leaders can do before students arrive, during the opening weeks of school, and throughout the year to intentionally cultivate a healthy middle school culture.
This conversation also represents what I hope the Sharing the Good platform can become: a bridge between scholarship and practice. The purpose is not simply to create and post content. It is to make research accessible, invite practitioners into the conversation, and provide encouragement and practical support to those serving in schools each day.
Oxford reminded me of the importance of continuing to ask questions.
The Middle School Culture Blueprint reminds me of the importance of listening carefully to those closest to the work. Dr. White and I are very excited about this work as we continue to finalize our manuscript draft in the hope of preparing it for publication.
Together, research, reflection, and the wisdom of the field can help us develop resources that genuinely serve educators and the students entrusted to their care.
What wisdom are you carrying forward, and how will you use it in service to others?
May we always seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
Join me in conversation or listen to the chats I am having with educators and school leaders. They inspire me and I hope they will inspire you, too!
As we bring our three-part summer series, Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work, to a close, I find myself filled with gratitude.
I am deeply grateful to Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling for generously sharing her research, leadership experience, wisdom, and heart throughout these conversations. Anita helped us pause and consider what it truly means for people to experience belonging within a school community.
Belonging is more than entering a building, attending a meeting, or being included on a faculty list. It is the experience of being seen, known, valued, supported, and connected to something meaningful.
Throughout this series, Anita reminded us that belonging does not happen by accident. It is cultivated through INTENTIONAL leadership, authentic listening, trust, communication, presence, and relationships.
In our first conversation, we explored why belonging matters, and in our second, we reflected on the important role leaders play in creating and sustaining cultures where people feel welcome, heard, and valued. In our final conversation, we connected belonging to joy, teacher retention, school stability, and the overall health of a school community. It felt especially important to end this series with joy.
Joy is not an extra benefit of a healthy school culture. Joy is part of what helps sustain the people who serve within it. Joy is synergistic! Joy does not mean that every day is easy. It does not mean that challenges disappear, difficult conversations are avoided, or the demands of leadership become lighter.
A joyful school community is not a perfect school community.
It is a community where people continue to notice the good, name the good, and carry the good forward together, even during demanding seasons. Joy grows when people know they are not alone. As a school team, exercising the muscle of gratitude can be transformational!
Joy within a school community grows when faculty and staff feel connected to one another and to the school’s mission. It becomes visible when people are encouraged to share their gifts, when contributions are recognized, and when leaders create space for gratitude, celebration, reflection, and genuine connection.
Joy is strengthened when it is shared. This is why I believe joy must be more than something we hope people eventually experience. Joy can become the first step we use in leading others.
Before beginning with the agenda, we can begin by seeing the people in front of us. Before moving immediately to the next task, we can pause to recognize someone’s contribution. Before focusing only on what needs to be corrected, completed, or improved, we can name what is already good and growing. Before assuming the worst, we can choose to see through the eyes of grace. Leading with joy does not ignore reality. It helps us face reality with hope, gratitude, courage, and a renewed sense of purpose.
As leaders prepare for the 2026-27 school year, there will be calendars to finalize, meetings to plan, classrooms to prepare, new employees to welcome, and many decisions to make. Within all of that important work, we can also ask:
How will people experience belonging here? [a leadership opportunity]
How will faculty and staff know they are valued? [essential building block for trust]
How will we listen to one another? [a powerful visual that you are being present]
How will we help new members of the community feel supported? [essential reflection question]
How will we keep joy visible when the year becomes busy? [because it will]
How will we notice and share the good? [my favorite]
The answers do not always require complicated programs or large initiatives. Belonging and joy are often strengthened through small, sincere, and consistent practices.
A handwritten note, a meaningful check-in, or a moment of gratitude at the beginning of a faculty meeting can really help build and maintain a positive school culture.
A celebration of a small victory, or a question asked with genuine care, demonstrates a leader who listens and follows through.
One small practice, offered consistently and sincerely, can become part of the building blocks for a joyful school campus.
My gratitude to Anita for helping us all reflect more deeply on the cultures we are called to build and sustain. I want to thank her for reminding us that belonging is experienced through both our words and our actions. Through this summer series, we are reminded that when people feel seen, known, valued, and connected, joy has room to grow and THRIVE!
As this summer series closes, I hope each of us will carry one invitation into the new school year:
Let joy be the first step. Let it shape how we welcome and guide our listening and communication with others.
May we continue to seek to see the people behind the work.
As school leaders or teachers, let us seek joy and let it help us build communities where educators, students, and families know they belong.
As a sharing the good community, let us continue to train our eyes to see the good, because when we do, amazing things happen.
Stay tuned…
Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball is honored to welcome Dr. Christina Mendez-Hall on August 13 as we continue the conversation about joy, why it is so important, and how leaders and teachers can allow joy to become the first step as they enter the 2026-27 school year.
Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio.
What began with the simple hope of encouraging at least one person is growing into a space where stories, faith, reflection, research, and practical wisdom can be shared.
I feel deeply honored to help notice and share some of the good happening in our schools, communities, churches, families, and the world.
Thank you to everyone who has listened, subscribed, encouraged me, and prayed for me on this journey. Scan the QR code for your preferred platform and join me as we continue Sharing the Good.
Until then, pause, exhale, reflect, and keep sharing the good.
As school leaders enter the summer months, there is a sacred opportunity to pause, exhale, and reflect on the culture they hope to build and maintain for the 2026-27 school year.
I am grateful to share that Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball will launch a three-part summer series on July 1st focused on Belonging, School Culture, and the Joy of the Work.
This series will feature Dr. Anita Harkins-Mehsling, Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Omaha. Dr. Harkins-Mehsling brings more than 30 years of experience serving in education, and her recent research has focused on helping school leaders create a stronger sense of belonging within their school communities. She earned her doctorate from Doane University and continues to support Catholic school leaders in building healthy, mission-centered, and joy-filled school cultures.
The purpose of this series is to invite school leaders to reflect on belonging as a foundation for strong school culture. When people feel they belong, they are more likely to feel seen, known, valued, connected, and committed to the shared mission of the school.
Belonging is not an extra. It is part of the daily work of building a school community where students, teachers, staff, families, and leaders can flourish.
In episode 1, Dr. Harkins-Mehsling and I will discuss why belonging matters and why summer is such a meaningful time for school leaders to reflect on the culture they hope to create. We will explore what belonging means, how it is experienced by adults and students, and why feeling seen, known, and valued matters so deeply in the life of a school community.
In episode 2, we will focus on the leader’s role in creating belonging. Belonging is shaped through intentional relationships, communication, trust, presence, and the daily choices leaders make. We will talk about how school leaders can help faculty and staff feel seen and valued, how a leader’s presence shapes culture, and how belonging can be woven into the rhythm of the school year without becoming “one more program.”
In episode 3, we will connect belonging, joy, and the 2026-27 school year. This final conversation will invite leaders to consider how belonging can become part of the language, rhythm, and lived experience of the school. We will also reflect on how belonging contributes to joy, teacher retention, school stability, and the overall health of a school community.
Joy is not meant to be held alone. Joy is synergistic! When joy is shared among a school team, it strengthens culture, builds connection, and reminds us that the work we do matters. A joyful school community does not mean a perfect school community. It means a community where people are willing to see the good, name the good, and carry the good forward together.
For decades, I have found great joy in encouraging my family, teachers, students, schools, and school communities to notice and share the good. I have seen how transformative it can be when we pause long enough to name what is good, celebrate one another, and remind people that their work and their presence matter.
The Thankful Thursday shout-out this week is for the joy distributors… You know who you are!
Summer gives us space to breathe. It gives us space to ask important questions:
Who in our school community needs to feel more seen?
How do we help new faculty, staff, students, and families feel welcomed?
What practices help people feel connected to the mission?
Where did we see joy this year?
How can we carry that joy forward?
My hope is that this series offers school leaders a gentle but meaningful invitation to pause, exhale, and reflect before the next school year begins. Belonging matters, joy matters, and developing and maintaining a positive school culture matters.
The faculty, staff, students, and school communities we serve matter, and they deserve nothing less than our best!
Why Fellowship is Essential with Karina Lepkowski, Principal, Most Holy Trinity
Fellowship is more than networking. It is more than collaboration around a project, committee, or a professional learning day. Fellowship is what happens when trust is built over time, shared mission becomes a shared walk, and colleagues become the trusted voices we return to because we know they will listen, encourage, challenge, and help us see more clearly.
Today, I had the joy of meeting with Karina Lepkowski, Principal at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Karina and I have been collaborators for 14 years. She served on my team at St. Regis Catholic School, we have worked together on committees, and she has led sessions for professional learning days I developed for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Over the years, our professional paths have crossed in many meaningful ways. But perhaps one of the most treasured parts of our story is this: Karina introduced my son to music and taught him how to play the alto saxophone. His love of jazz and the gift of having music in his heart will last him a lifetime. For that, I will always be grateful to this amazing educator, and I am honored to call her a friend now.
While these accomplishments speak beautifully to Karina’s professional impact, what I value most is the way she leads through relationships. She is the kind of educator and leader who listens deeply, shares generously, and reminds others that the work of Catholic education is strengthened when we walk alongside one another.
As Karina and I caught up and discussed projects we are working on, I was reminded of something important. Educational leaders need trusted voices. We need people who understand the work, who know the heart behind the work, and who can offer honest insight because the relationship is rooted in care. These are the colleagues who help us process ideas, sharpen our thinking, and stay grounded in mission. They remind us that leadership was never meant to be a lonely road.
Research continues to affirm what many of us have experienced in our own leadership journeys. Strong professional learning is collaborative, sustained, and grounded in reflection. Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardner (2017) found that effective professional development creates opportunities for educators to share ideas, collaborate in job-embedded ways, and build communities that can positively influence the culture and instruction of a school or system. Similarly, research on collective teacher culture points to the importance of shared goals, supportive colleagues, collective efficacy, and belonging as important dimensions of a healthy school culture.
This is why fellowship matters. When leaders intentionally build relationships of trust and professional friendship, they strengthen the culture around them. Fellowship helps us become better listeners. It helps us ask better questions. It gives us space to pause, reflect, and renew. It also helps us remember that the work of education is deeply human. Behind every initiative, every professional learning session, every school improvement goal, and every strategic plan are people who need encouragement, connection, and belonging.
In my own research on teacher retention, school climate, leadership, collaboration, and culture emerged as important areas of focus in understanding how educators experience their work and what helps them remain committed to the mission (Ball, 2023). Positive school culture is not built by accident. It is formed through intentional relationships, shared purpose, and the daily decision to walk alongside one another.
As educational leaders, we often spend time developing strategic muscles: planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and execution. These are important. However, I would share that research supports that we also need to be just as intentional about building the muscle of fellowship. Collective teacher culture is strengthened through shared goals and values, collective efficacy, supportive colleagues, belonging, and job satisfaction, all of which remind us that trusted professional relationships are central to healthy school communities (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2021). Who are the trusted voices we call when we need to think out loud? Who helps us see the good when the work feels heavy? Who reminds us of who we are and why this work matters?
The summer weeks offer a beautiful invitation to pause and reach out. Send the text, make the call, or schedule the coffee. Technology offers us the wonderful ability to connect via Zoom, Meet, FaceTime, etc. We really have no excuse not to engage with the technological tools at our fingertips today. I encourage you to reconnect with the colleague who has walked part of the journey with you. Take time to say thank you to the person who helped shape your leadership, your school community, or even your family in ways that will last a lifetime. Gratitude has a way of lowering our stress levels and refocusing our lens to see the good all around us.
When we make time to walk alongside one another, we build the kind of school culture where others can do the same.
This year, my research has continued to center around school culture and team development. In my two latest projects, When We Train Our Eyes to See the Good, Amazing Things Happen and The Middle School Culture Blueprint, which I am co-authoring with Dr. LaTonya White, I have been reflecting deeply on the gift of fellowship and why it matters so much for educational leaders. If you would like to share your thoughts, please send me a message or leave a comment. I welcome the feedback and insights.
Dr. LaTonya White and Dr. Denise Ball, National Catholic Leadership Convention 2026
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things, Denise
References
Ball, D. M. (2023). Improving teacher retention within Archdiocese of Washington schools [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University]. Liberty University Scholars Crossing.
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2021). Collective teacher culture: Exploring an elusive construct and its relations with teacher autonomy, belonging, and job satisfaction. Social Psychology of Education, 24, 1389–1406.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2011). New American Bible, Revised Edition.
It is a time to pause, breathe, rest, reconnect, and allow children, parents, and teachers to experience learning through a different lens. Learning does not need to stop when the school year ends. In fact, some of the most meaningful learning happens during the slower moments of summer…in the backyard, at the kitchen table, on a family walk, at the library, while traveling, while serving others, while reading together, or simply by asking good questions and making the act of inquiry fun!
For teachers, summer can be a time to renew creativity and gather meaningful resources for the year ahead. For parents and caregivers, summer can be a time to nurture curiosity without recreating the structure of the school day. Children need rest, play, imagination, and connection. They also benefit from small, intentional moments that keep their minds active and their love of learning alive.
The goal is not to overschedule summer
Photo credit: Denise Ball, Ed.D. (c) 2025
A Few Gentle Summer Learning Reminders
Read something every day. It does not always need to be a chapter book. It can be a recipe, a poem, a comic, a prayer, a field guide, a sign at a museum, a letter from a grandparent, or a book read together before bed.
Practice math in real life. Double a recipe. Estimate the grocery total. Track the weather. Compare sports statistics. Build something. Measure something. Let children see that math lives all around them.
Make space for creativity. Sidewalk chalk, journaling, drawing, building, storytelling, music, nature walks, and family traditions all support learning. Children are forming memories while they are forming skills.
Use technology with purpose. Online resources can be wonderful when used intentionally. A short learning activity, a virtual museum visit, a math review, a science video, or a writing prompt can be helpful, especially when paired with conversation.
Protect time for rest and relationships. Children do not simply need information; they need formation. They need adults who see them, listen to them, encourage them, and help them notice the good. I encourage you to help them see and share the good. It will be good for them and your entire family unit!
Photo credit: Denise Ball, Ed.D. (c) 2025
Recommended Summer Resources for Teachers and Parents
Khan Academy remains a helpful free resource for students, parents, and teachers. It offers lessons, practice exercises, videos, and learning dashboards across math, science, reading, computing, history, economics, financial literacy, test preparation, and more. It can be especially helpful for families looking for short, focused skill practice over the summer.
Khan Academy Kids also offers free printable activities for parents and teachers, including off-screen options in English and Spanish. This is a helpful reminder that summer learning does not always need to happen on a device.
ReadWriteThink is a strong literacy resource for teachers, parents, and afterschool professionals. It includes classroom resources, student interactives, writing tools, lesson plans, and printables across grade levels. It is a wonderful place to explore reading and writing activities that can be adapted for summer learning.
The Smithsonian Learning Lab offers digital images, videos, texts, recordings, and collections that teachers and families can use to explore history, art, culture, science, and more. This is a beautiful resource for curiosity-driven learning and project-based exploration.
NASA Learning Resources provide STEM activities, videos, student opportunities, educator resources, and family-friendly ways to explore science, space, engineering, and discovery. For children who love to ask “why” and “how,” NASA can help turn curiosity into deeper learning.
The National Park Service offers teacher-created lesson plans and outdoor learning resources connected to nature, science, history, and exploration. These resources can help families and teachers connect learning to the world beyond the classroom walls.
Photo credit: Denise Ball, Ed.D. (c) 2023
Simple Summer Learning Ideas for Home
Create a family reading basket. Place books, magazines, devotionals, field guides, library books, and journals in one shared space. Invite children to choose something to read each day.
Start a “wonder journal.” Ask children to write or draw one thing they noticed, wondered about, or learned each day.
Plan one curiosity outing each week.Visit a library, park, museum, garden, historical site, farmer’s market, or local landmark. Before going, ask: What do we already know? What do we want to learn?
Use the 20-minute rule. Twenty minutes of reading, math practice, writing, or creative learning a few times a week can help keep skills active without overwhelming the gift of summer. As adults, we call this “time boxing”…
Build a family tradition. Summer traditions do not need to be complicated. A weekly library visit, Sunday evening walk, family game night, prayer before a trip, or “tell me one good thing” dinner conversation can become an anchor children remember for years.
A Note to Teachers
Teachers, I hope summer gives you space to rest.
You have poured out so much this year. You have taught lessons, managed transitions, encouraged children, supported families, adjusted plans, solved problems, and carried more than many people will ever see. Please give yourself permission to pause.
When you are ready, perhaps choose one or two resources that inspire you for the year ahead. Not twenty. Not fifty. Just one or two that help you imagine what is possible.
Summer is not only for planning but for renewing the heart.
Photo credit: Denise Ball, Ed.D. (c) 2026
A Note to Parents and Caregivers
Parents are the first teachers of their children. The small moments really do matter.
Reading together matters, asking questions matters, and taking the time to pause, look children in the eye, and listening to them matters.
Putting aside the demands of our time that the chaos of life often places on our schedules and taking a walk matters.
Telling family stories matters, and helping children see that learning is not limited to a classroom matters.
Summer gives families a beautiful opportunity to slow down and remind children that learning is part of life, not just part of school. Life is a gift, and helping our children train their eyes to see this good is meaningful and essential!
Photo credit: Denise Ball, Ed.D. (c) 2006
As we move through the summer months, may we remember that learning is not meant to be heavy. It is meant to awaken curiosity, deepen connection, strengthen confidence, and help children see the beauty of the world around them.
Let us use this summer to rest well, read often, explore joyfully, ask good questions, and share the good.
When we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.
I was so INSPIRED by my conversation this morning with Dr. Barbara Edmondson. I have known Barbara for almost a decade, and every time I leave her presence, I feel encouraged, reflective, and inspired.
In our conversation, Barbara spoke about the importance of educational leaders knowing their charisms and core beliefs. I could not agree more. When we understand the gifts we have been given and the beliefs that ground us, we are better able to serve with clarity, purpose, and joy.
For many educators and school leaders, the next 9 to 12 weeks offer a beautiful opportunity to pause, exhale, and reflect on the “why” behind our service. Why did we choose this work? What gifts have we been called to share? What core beliefs continue to guide us when the days are long and the work feels heavy? Where did we see joy this year? Where did we help create it for someone else?
These are not small questions, but they are the questions that help us return to purpose.
Joy is not meant to be held alone. Joy is synergistic! When joy is shared among a school team, it strengthens culture, builds connection, and reminds us that the work we do matters. Recent research on teacher teams affirms that creating and sustaining a positive school climate requires ongoing collaborative work and that teachers experience their teams as important support structures connected to shared responsibility, safety, openness, and school climate work (Hammar Chiriac et al., 2024). A joyful school community does not mean a perfect school community. It means a community where people are willing to see the good, name the good, and carry the good forward together.
As we close one school year and begin looking toward the next, perhaps this is an invitation to pause and reflect:
*What are the charisms I bring to this work?
*What core beliefs guide the way I serve?
*Where have I seen goodness unfold this year?
*Who helped me remember the joy of the work?
*Who needs to hear a simple and sincere “thank you”?
To every educator, school leader, staff member, parent, and community partner who continues to serve others: thank you!
Thank you for the seen and unseen ways you show up. Thank you for the encouragement you offer, the patience you practice, the hope you carry, and the light you bring into your school communities.
The work you do matters, and when we train our eyes to see the good, amazing things happen.
There is a particular kind of energy that comes from meaningful collaboration. The kind that is grounded in shared mission, fueled by trust, and sustained by a deep belief in the work we are called to do.
Over the past year, I have had the privilege of working alongside incredible partners to bring the Middle School Mindset Portfolio of Services to life. What began as an idea has grown into something far more powerful than any one organization could have accomplished alone. In just a few short weeks, we will launch this work nationally on May 29.
This moment feels significant, not simply because of the launch itself, but because of what it represents.
A Response to a Critical Moment
Middle school is a pivotal season of formation. It is a time when students are asking deeper questions about identity, belonging, and purpose. It is also a time when educators are navigating increasing complexity like academic recovery, student engagement, and social-emotional needs, all while striving to create classrooms where students feel known and valued.
We cannot meet this moment in isolation.
The Middle School Mindset Portfolio was built in response to that reality. It is not a single program or a one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, it is a collaborative ecosystem designed to support educators with practical strategies, meaningful resources, and a shared commitment to strengthening both instruction and culture.
The Gift of Partnership
One of the greatest joys in this work has been collaborating with mission-aligned partners who bring both expertise and heart to the table.
A special acknowledgment goes to Archangel Education and Technology, whose team is building an innovative digital ecosystem that will no doubt become a destination space for educators and system leaders. Their work reminds us that when technology is designed with purpose, it can truly amplify impact.
Equally inspiring has been our partnership with the Archdiocese of Miami pilot schools. On May 29th, during this complimentary webinar, we will hear directly from middle school teachers who have engaged in this work, educators who are thoughtfully applying strategies, reflecting on practice, and shaping what this portfolio will become at scale.
To visit these vendor partners supporting schools nationwide, please visit:
We can serve students and teachers more when we do it together!
From Research to Practice: Naming What Matters Most
This work has also deepened my ongoing collaboration with Dr. LaTonya White. Together, we are preparing to share our research in the forthcoming Middle School Culture Blueprint (Ball & White, 2026).
At the center of our work is a simple yet deeply impactful reminder: what we reinforce each day becomes the culture we experience, whether by intention or by default.
Middle school culture does not happen by accident. It is shaped in the small, consistent moments: in how we greet students, how we structure learning, how we respond to challenges, and how we create space for student voice. Belonging is not a program we implement. It is a condition we intentionally cultivate through every interaction, every structure, and every expectation (Ball & White, 2026).
When we are intentional, we create environments where students and teachers can thrive. When we are not, culture is still formed, but often in ways that do not serve our mission. The opportunity before us is to lead with clarity, purpose, and hope, and to build cultures where every student and educator knows they are seen, valued, and called to grow.
A Moment of Anticipation
As we look ahead to our national webinar launch on May 29, I am filled with gratitude for the partnerships, for the educators, and for the shared commitment to this work. This is more than a program launch. It is a reflection of what is possible when we come together, listen deeply, and build something that responds to the real needs of our schools. It is a reminder that we are not alone in this work. And… it is an invitation to continue to collaborate, to continue to learn, and to continue to see the good that is unfolding all around us.
The May 29th registration is live (scan the QR code above). Come and join the conversation!
Vendor Partner Middle School Mindset Portfolio of Services
The Middle School Mindset Portfolio of Services represents a unique national collaboration between: ADAC | William H. Sadlier | Friendzy | Archangel Education & Technology. An à la carte portfolio of resources.
ADAC, Inc.
ADAC partners with PK–12 schools, systems, and networks nationwide to help educators and leaders confidently meet the needs of every student.
Friendzy, Co.
An effective curriculum that teaches a new generation of students character development skills.
Curriculum Associates
Together with one million educators, we’re connecting every part of learning—from assessment to instruction, data to discovery—to empower classrooms and communities to thrive.
Archangel Education & Technology
Archangel brings a human touch to technology, blending passion, deep expertise, and a strong community focus to enrich educational experiences.
William H. Sadlier
Core and supplemental math programs teach the essentials students will use the rest of their academic and professional lives.
National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education
Standards provide a foundation for the policies, rules, and procedures necessary to deliver high-quality, systematic programs and services for high-ability students. Guidance and framework resources.
Standards and Assessments
Raising academic standards for all students and measuring student achievement to hold schools accountable for educational progress are central strategies for promoting educational excellence and equity in our Nation’s schools.
Odyssey of the Mind
An international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.
Math Chimps
Great online math games aligned to the Common Core State Standards~for ages 4-16
Team Building and Problem-Solving Strategies for the Classroom
Odyssey of the Mind
An international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.
Websites with Games and Activities Created by Authors
Oceanhouse Media
Great educational book apps and so much more. Check out often for FREE downloads to help your child learn letters, phonics & math!
Unlock the Teacher 