Rick Wormeli is a National Board Certified Teacher and a columnist for Middle Ground magazine, published by the National Middles School Association (NMSA). Awarded in April 2008 the prestigious New England League of Middle School's James P. Garvin Award for distinguished service and the winner of Disney's American Teacher Award for English in 1996, Wormeli has an international reputation for his presentations on middle-level education, innovation, and teacher professionalism. The author of Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers;Differentiation: From Planning to Practice, Grades 6 – 12;Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom; and Meet Me in the Middle: Becoming an Accomplished Middle Level Teacher, he consults for National Public Radio, USA Today, and the Smithsonian Institute.