Middle School 2026: CAMLE Board Members Share What’s Next for Colorado Middle Level Education
By Julie Read and CAMLE Board Members
To capture what lies ahead, members of the CAMLE Board representing diverse roles across Colorado middle schools were asked to reflect on one emerging trend or innovation in teaching, technology, or student support that they believe will have a meaningful impact on middle level education. Their collective insights are grounded in research, practice, and a deep understanding of young adolescents, and they offer a compelling picture of what is next for Colorado middle schools. Together, their responses highlight a future that blends innovation with intention and balances new tools with the enduring importance of relationships.
AI as a Tool for Connection, Equity, and Personalization
A strong and consistent theme across board responses was the thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence, always grounded in strong relationships and middle level philosophy. From a rural superintendent’s perspective, Dan Melendrez emphasized that the true innovation is not AI itself, but how it is used:
“The most impactful trend for Colorado middle schools will be the intentional integration of AI-supported and student-centered learning, paired with strong human relationships… The innovation isn’t AI alone, it’s how we leverage it to strengthen connection, equity, and relevance for every middle school learner, regardless of zip code.”
Several board members echoed this perspective. Chief Operations Officer Jason Taylor agrees that intentional integration will play a leading role in this year's work. Instructional Coordinator and CAMLE President Matthew Moulton highlighted the role AI can play in career exploration and future readiness, noting the importance of helping young adolescents understand both the possibilities ahead of them and the skills needed to innovate within a changing world. He stressed that creativity, curiosity, and human-to-human communication remain essential outcomes of middle level education.
Professional Development Coordinator David Baker connected AI to CAMLE’s broader mission of honoring the unique nature of the middle school learner:
“AI is not just a utility; it is a catalyst that powers the type of personalized, meaningful learning these years require.”
He described how AI can support students as they explore essential middle school questions: Who am I? How do I connect? How will I contribute?
From an instructional lens, Learning Coach Kelly Addington emphasized AI’s role in creating more responsive, data-informed environments. She shared that educators are increasingly using real-time academic, behavioral, and emotional data to personalize instruction while maintaining a strong focus on essential standards. This continues the movement away from one-size-fits-all learning and toward meeting individual student needs.
Literacy, Voice, and Culturally Responsive Practice
Alongside technology, board members highlighted instructional shifts that deepen thinking, amplify student voice, and promote equity. Principal Nicole Paxton pointed to the growing emphasis on writing across the curriculum through disciplinary literacy models. In these approaches, students demonstrate understanding through writing in every subject, whether through claim evidence reasoning in science, source based arguments in social studies, or mathematical justification.
Nicole also emphasized a parallel trend: intentional, systemic efforts to center student voice and equity across the entire school experience. Advisory structures, student leadership teams, and feedback loops are increasingly shaping instructional and organizational decisions, ensuring students are active participants in their learning communities.
CSU Assistant Professor Andrea Glaws highlighted the transformative potential of Gholdy Muhammad’s Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy framework. Grounded in the pursuits of identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy, this framework supports rigorous, relevant, and engaging instruction across all content areas. Andrea shared that lessons designed with these pursuits are “truly phenomenal and next level,” reflecting a growing commitment to culturally responsive practice in middle schools.
Supporting the Whole Child
Finally, Executive Principal Katie Gustafson drew attention to the expanded need for integrated mental health and character education supports. She noted that today’s middle schoolers, many of whom missed critical early socialization during the COVID shutdown, continue to show the effects as they enter adolescence. In response, schools are embedding social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and character education into daily instruction and tiered systems of support to foster resilience, engagement, and belonging.
A Shared Vision for the Middle Level
Taken together, CAMLE board members’ reflections paint a clear picture of where Colorado middle schools are headed toward environments that are personalized but purposeful and innovative while remaining deeply human. Whether through AI, culturally responsive literacy, student voice, or mental health supports, the focus remains steadfast in honoring the developmental needs of young adolescents while preparing them for a complex and evolving future.
As we move toward 2026, these emerging trends remind us that the heart of middle level education has not changed. What has evolved are the tools and strategies we can use to help every student feel known, challenged, and inspired.
