FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2014
Contact: Deborah Kasak, Executive Director
217.351.2196, [email protected]
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
EXCEPTIONAL MIDDLE-GRADES ‘SCHOOLS TO WATCH’
ANNOUNCED IN FIFTEEN STATES
Champaign-Urbana, IL – One hundred and sixteen exemplary middle-grades schools in Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia have been named “Schools
to Watch” as part of a recognition and improvement program developed by the National Forum to
Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Having established partnerships with education leaders in these
states, the Forum today announced the names of schools in each state that meet its strict criteria. [list
of schools below]
Each school was selected by state leaders for its academic excellence, its responsiveness to the
needs and interests of young adolescents, and its commitment to helping all students achieve at
high levels. In addition, each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to
improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring
about continuous improvement.
Linda Hopping, Chair of the National Forum’s Schools to Watch Oversight Committee stated,
“These schools demonstrate that high-performing middle grades schools have a clear focus on
academic growth and achievement. They also recognize the importance of meeting the needs of
all of their students and ensuring that each and every child has access to a rigorous, high-quality
education. We are proud to have these schools serve as models from which others can learn.”
Selection is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria
developed by the Forum. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state
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teams who observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and
looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work. Schools are
recognized for a three-year period; and at the end of three years, schools must repeat the process
in order to be re-designated. Seventy-seven schools of the 116 recognized have maintained or
increased their levels of excellence and are being re-designated. The schools vary in size from
several hundred to several thousand students and represent urban, suburban, and rural
communities.
"We are pleased that our Schools to Watch program has shown that schools can meet high
academic expectations while preserving a commitment to healthy development and equity for all
students," said Dr. Deborah Kasak, Forum executive director. "These Schools to Watch are
indeed special; they make education so exciting that students and teachers don't want to miss a
day. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieving excellence,
and any middle-grades school in any state can truly learn from their examples," Kasak said.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grades
schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 criteria developed by the Forum.
The Forum web site (http://www.middlegradesforum.org) features detailed information about the
selection criteria. The STW process provided the framework for the successful Investing in
Innovation (i3) Development grant received in October 2010 from the U. S. Department of
Education. The National Forum’s “The Schools to Watch: School Transformation Network”
concentrates on assisting 18 persistently low performing middle grades schools in CA, IL and
NC. In 2013, the Forum further extended its STW framework when it was awarded a second i3
Development Grant: Middle-Grades Leadership Development. This grant will work with 12
schools in MI and KY.
In 2002, the Forum began working with states to replicate the Schools to Watch program as a
way to introduce the Forum's criteria for high-performance and identify middle grades schools
that meet or exceed that criteria. Different education organizations have taken the lead in each
state, but all have received training and support from the Forum to implement their Schools to
Watch programs. The lead state organizations are the Arkansas Association of Middle Level
Education, the California League of Middle Schools, the Colorado Association of Middle Level
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Education, the Georgia Middle School Association, the Association of Illinois Middle-Level
Schools, the Indiana Middle Level Education Association, the Kentucky Middle School
Association, the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, the New Jersey
Association for Middle Level Education, New Jersey Education Association, the New York State
Middle School Association & New York State Department of Education, the North Carolina
Middle School Association, the Ohio Department of Education, the Oregon Middle Level
Association, the Pennsylvania Middle School Association, the South Carolina Middle School
Association, the Texas Middle School Association, the Utah Middle Level Association and the
Virginia Middle School Association. All together, nineteen states are currently involved in the
program and the addition of these schools raises the total number of Schools to Watch to 367
nationwide.
The National Forum sponsors the Schools to Watch state program with the support of its
members and the State Schools to Watch programs. Schools will convene at the Schools to
Watch Conference in the Washington, DC area June 26- 28, 2014.
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is an alliance of 40 educators,
researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations
dedicated to improving education in the middle grades.
National Forum Schools to Watch Contact: Deborah Kasak, Executive Director
217.351.2196 [email protected]
The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
New & Re-Designated “Schools to Watch”
ARKANSAS
STATE DIRECTORS: Mona Briggs (501) 658-1811 [email protected]
Charles Green (501) 851-4857 [email protected]
Redesignation II
Cabot Middle School North, Cabot
Helen Tyson Middle School, Springdale
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CALIFORNIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Irvin Howard (951) 318-7515 [email protected]
Carole Carlson (408) 867-6623 [email protected]
New
Alondra Middle School, Paramount
Carmenita Middle School, Cerritos
Colton Middle School, Colton
Heber Elementary, Heber
LaCanada High School 7/8, LaCanada Flintridge
Landmark Middle School, Moreno Valley
Leona Jackson Middle School, Paramount
Pinkerton Middle School, Elk Grove
Serrano Middle School, Montclair
Tetzlaff Accelerated Learning Academy, Cerritos
Turlock Junior High School, Turlock
Redesignation I
Calavera Hills Middle School, Calsbad
Carnegie Middle School, Sacramento
La Paz Middle School, Mission Viejo
Vista Verde Middle School, Moreno Valley
Washington Academic, Sanger
Redesignation II
Alta Sierra Intermediate, Clovis
Kastner Intermediate, Clovis
Redesignation III
Alvarado Intermediate, Rowland Heights
Bernice Ayer Middle School, San Clemente
Kennedy Middle School, El Centro
Millikan Middle School, Sherman Oaks
Rancho Milpitas Middle School, Milpitas
COLORADO
STATE DIRECTOR: Diane Lauer (970) 222-6422 [email protected]
New
Lesher Middle School, Fort Collins
Redesignation I
Jenkins Middle School, Colorado Springs
Powell Middle School, Littleton
Redesignation II
Russell Middle School, Colorado Springs
GEORGIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Linda Hopping (404) 317-3679 [email protected]
Redesignation I
East Jackson Middle School, Commerce
Waycross Middle School, Waycross
Redesignation III
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Chapel Hill Middle School, Chapel Hill
Upson-Lee Middle School, Thomaston
ILLINOIS
STATE DIRECTORS: John Viano (630) 437-0943 [email protected]
Gary Weilbacher [email protected]
New
Clifford Crone Middle School, Naperville
Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove
Nathan Davis School, Chicago
Redesignation II
Gordon Gregory Middle School, Naperville
Indian Creek Middle School, Waterman
INDIANA
STATE DIRECTOR: Shirley Wright (317) 894-2937 [email protected]
New
Shelbyville Middle School, Shelbyville
Redesignation I
Eastwood Middle School, Indianapolis
Triton Central Middle School, Fairland
Tri-West Middle School, Lizton
Westlane Middle School, Indianapolis
KENTUCKY
STATE DIRECTORS: Karen Hamilton (850) 248-1629 [email protected]
Fran Salyers (859) 608-2368 [email protected]
Redesignation I
Mt. Washington Middle School, Mt. Washington
Redesignation II
Benton Middle School, Benton
Re-Designation III
Olmstead School, Olmstead
MICHIGAN
STATE DIRECTOR: Nic Cooper [email protected]
Sherry Lambertson (989) 529-4397 [email protected]
New
Cheboygan Middle School, Cheboygan
Whitehall Middle School, Whitehall
Redesignation I
Oakview Middle School, Lake Orion
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NEW JERSEY
STATE DIRECTOR: Gail Hillard-Nelson (908) 737-3866 [email protected]
Frank Corrado (973) 477-6070 [email protected]
New
Carl H. Kumpf Middle School, Clark
Leonia Middle School, Leonia
Redesignation I
Belhaven Middle School, Linwood
Black River Middle School, Chester
Redesignation II
Mountain View Middle School, Mendham Borough
NEW YORK
STATE DIRECTORS: David Payton (518) 356-3299 [email protected]
Marybeth Casey (518) 474-0059 [email protected]
Redesignation I
Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, Port Washington
Garden City Middle School, Garden City
Redesignation II
Pioneer Middle School, Yorkshire
NORTH CAROLINA
STATE DIRECTOR: Cathy Tomon (252) 247-3135 [email protected]
New
C.W. Standford Middle School, Hillsborough
Mount Airy Middle School, Mount Airy
Redesignation I
McGee's Crossroads, Benson
Piedmont Middle School, Charlotte
Redesignation II
Kernodle Middle School, Greensboro
Rogers-Herr Middle School, Durham
West Pine Middle School, West End
Redesignation III
Carmel Middle School, Charlotte
Easy Yancey Middle School, Burnsville
Jay M. Robinson Middle School, Charlotte
OHIO
STATE DIRECTOR: Dan Stacy (614)644-6325 [email protected]
Redesignation II
Teays Valley West Middle School, Commercial Point
Wadsworth Central Intermediate, Wadsworth
Redesignation III
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Beachwood Middle School, Beachwood
St. HenryMiddle School, St. Henry
Van Wert Middle School, Van Wert
PENNSYLVANIA
STATE DIRECTORS: Bruce Vosburgh (610) 945-4434 [email protected]
New
ET Richardson Middle School, Springfield
Kane Area Middle School, Kane
Northley Middle School, Aston
Schuylkill Valley Middle School, Leesport
Redesignation I
Canonsburg Middle School, Canonsburg
Seneca Valley Middle School, Harmony
Redesignation II
Boyce Middle School, Upper St. Clair
Fort Couch Middle School, Upper St. Clair
SOUTH CAROLINIA
STATE DIRECTORS: Linda Allen (843) 839-5025 [email protected]
Tina Jamison [email protected]
New
Campobello Gramling School, Campobello
Redesignation I
Castle Heights Middle School, Rock Hill
T.E. Mabry Middle School, Inman
Redesignation II
Blythewood Middle School, Blythewood
Palmetto Middle School, Williamston
TEXAS
STATE DIRECTORS: Cecil Floyd (512) 517-0517 [email protected]
Melissa Seward [email protected]
New
Bailey Middle School, Spring
Beckendorff Junior High, Katy
Beverly Hills Intermediate School, Pasadena
Bowman Middle School, Plano
Gorzycki Middle School, Austin
Hudson Bend Middle School, Lake Travis
Murphy Middle School, Plano
Simon Middle School, Hays
Redesignation I
Alexander Middle School, Pearland ISD
Armando Chapa Middle School, Hays CISD
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Barbara Bush Middle School, North East
Cal & Walt Wester Middle School, Frisco
Chisholm Trail Middle School, North West
Eastwood Middle School, Ysleta
George Dawson Middle School, Southlake Carroll
KIPP Aspire Academy Middle School, San Antonio
Lone Oak Middle School, Lone Oak
Omar Bradley Middle School, North East
Pershing Middle School, Houston
UTAH
STATE DIRECTORS: Lori Gardner (801) 803-3659 [email protected]
Cathy Jenson (801) 538-7793 [email protected]
Redesignation I
Kearns Junior High School, Kearns
Redesignation II
Tonaquint Intermediate School, St. George
VIRGINIA
STATE DIRECTOR: Sandy Dutemple (703) 795-0775 [email protected]
Dr. Sally MacLean (703) 866-0537 [email protected]
New
Harmony Middle School, Loudoun County
Lake Ridge Middle School, Prince William County
Northside Middle School, Roanoke County
Wallace Middle School, Washington County
Redesignation I
Bull Run Middle School, Prince William County
Gainesville Middle School, Prince William County
Pennington Traditional School, Prince William County
Stone Hill Middle School, Loudoun County
Stonewall Middle School, Prince William County
Redesignation II
Blue Ridge Middle School, Loudoun County
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