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In its continuing effort to replicate the programs and practices of outstanding middle grades schools, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform has selected three additional states to implement its acclaimed “Schools to Watch” program.

 

The states of Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Utah were chosen after a competitive selection process in which teams from each state demonstrated the capacity, commitment, and vision to partner with the Forum to establish the program.  Each state will now work with the Forum to select “Schools to Watch” at the middle level.

 

The states join Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia, which were previously selected and have since chosen exceptional  middle-grades schools in each of their own states.  To date, 59 schools across the country have been designated “Schools to Watch.”

 

The National Forum co-sponsors Schools to Watch with the National Association for Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Middle School Association, National Staff Development Council, and the eleven state Schools to Watch programs.

 

Since its launch in 1999, Schools to Watch has identified middle grades schools that are academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable, but also have the organizational supports to sustain the school’s success.  The 59 schools currently identified by state Schools to Watch programs serve as models of what high-performing middle grades schools can achieve.  There are Schools to Watch in major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte and Los Angeles, as well as in rural and suburban areas. 

 

The Forum web site (www.schoolstowatch.org) features online tours of the schools, detailed information about the selection criteria, and links to the state Schools to Watch programs.

 

In today’s announcement, the National Forum selected Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Utah to replicate the Schools to Watch program as a way to identify exemplary middle grades schools in each state.  “This is not just another awards program.  Schools to Watch will allow our new states to identify, high-performing middle grades schools that can serve as models for others to follow,” said Dr. John Harrison, president of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.  “We are identifying schools across the nation that have rigorous academics and give every student the opportunity to grow and achieve, and we look forward to Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Utah joining us in this effort and recognizing their own new Schools to Watch,” Harrison said.

 

The partners advancing the program in Pennsylvania include the Pennsylvania Middle School Association, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Lehigh University, Gettysburg College, and Duquesne University.

 

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations dedicated to improving education in the middle grades.  The Forum seeks to improve student learning dramatically by advocating that schools provide strong academics, respond to students’ needs and interests, and ensure equal access to high-quality classes.  To learn more, visit www.mgforum.org.

 

TL e-N Teaching and Learning e-Newsletter Volume  4,

Number 7, February 2006.