Schools to Watch

See a list of all 124 Schools to Watch!

As part of its continuing effort to identify and learn from high-performing middle schools, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, in collaboration with NMSA, NAESP, NASSP, and NSDC, launched its Schools to Watch State Program in 2002. Through this program, the Forum has trained sixteen teams of education leaders to implement Schools to Watch programs in their states.

See all the State STWs

States that Joined in 2007

Invitation to Apply for the 2007 Program

States that Joined in 2006

States that Joined in 2005

States that Joined in 2004

States that Joined in 2003

States that Joined in 2002

A Brief History of the STW program

States that Joined in 2007
The National Forum is pleased to announce New Jersey and Oregon have been added to the state Schools to Watch program for 2007. Read more about these states here. New states are added yearly. Applications for 2008 will be available in the fall of 2007. Watch the website for details.

Invitation to Apply for the 2007 Program
The National Forum invites state middle-grades associations, state departments of education, post-secondary institutions, and other collaborating organizations to join us in expanding our STW program. Through this program, we seek to provide state and local leaders in selected states with a unique professional learning opportunity, while at the same time identifying and honoring middle-grades schools that are on a solid trajectory toward reform. Read more about the invitation and download the Request for Applications.

back to top

States that Joined in 2006
The National Forum is pleased to announce Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Utah to the state Schools to Watch program for 2006. New states are added yearly. Applications for 2007 will be available in the fall of 2006. Watch the website for details.

States that Joined in 2005
The National Forum is pleased to announce Michigan and Arkansas to the state Schools to Watch program for 2005. New states are added yearly. Applications for 2006 will be available in the fall of 2005. Watch the website for details.

States that Joined in 2004
As the STW program gained momentum across the country, the Forum issued its third call for states interested in implementing STW. In April 2004, the Forum chose teams from New York and Ohio to join the cohort of STW states. Forum members and veteran STW state leaders trained these newest states in Albany, New York. More information about the New York and Ohio programs can be found on the websites of the New York State MIddle School Association, and the Ohio Middle School Association.

back to top

States that Joined in 2003

Building on the success of the pilot year, the Forum once again invited applications from states that were interested in implementing STW programs. In May 2003, the Forum chose teams from Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia as partners in this endeavor. These states received three days of training on how to launch and sustain the process of identifying high-performing middle-grades schools. Members of the Forum, alongside state leaders who joined the program in 2002, will provide ongoing technical assistance to these new states as they solicit school nominations, conduct site visits, and make final decisions about school selections. More information about the programs in the four states can be found on the websites of the Colorado Association for Middle Level Education, the MiddleSchool House (Kentucky), and the Virginia Middle School Association.

back to top

States that Joined in 2002
The Forum selected California, Georgia, and North Carolina to serve as "pioneers" of this effort. These states conducted rigorous searches for Schools to Watch in their states and announced their school selections in the winter of 2003. Detailed descriptions of the schools can be found on the websites of the California League of Middle Schools, the Georgia Middle School Association, and the North Carolina Middle School Association.