"Schools To Watch™-Taking Center Stage" Model Schools
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today designated six California schools as model middle grades schools in the Schools to Watch™–Taking Center Stage (STW™–TCS) program.
"Middle school can be a difficult time for students as they mature socially, physically, and academically. These six model middle grades schools are making great progress in improving academic achievement, meeting the needs of their students, and making changes that are leading to further student success," said O’Connell. "All the hard work of the students, their parents, teachers, and administrators are paying off and I congratulate them all and hope that other middle schools can learn from their successful practices."
The new model middle grades schools in the Schools to Watch™–Taking Center Stage program schools are:
- Canyon Middle School (Castro Valley Unified School District, Castro Valley, Alameda County);
- Edna Hill Middle School (Brentwood Union School District, Brentwood, Contra Costa County);
- Frank M. Wright Middle School (Imperial Unified School District, Imperial, Imperial County);
- John Glenn Middle School (Desert Sands Unified School District, Indio, Riverside County);
- Medea Creek Middle School (Oak Park Unified School District, Oak Park, Ventura County);
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School (Los Angeles Unified School District, Northridge, Los Angeles County).
STW™–TCS is a collaborative effort of 12 education organizations that form the California Middle Grades Alliance. The goal of the program is to identify high-performing school models that demonstrate academic excellence, developmental responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, social equity, and organizational support. In order to be named a STW™–TCS designee, schools conducted an extensive self-study and completed a narrative application. Each site was reviewed in January by a team of middle grades experts.
The six middle grades schools named today are among 26 others selected in previous cycles since 2003 as STW™–TCS designees. Medea Creek and John Glenn middle schools have been STW™–TCS schools for six years. Despite changes in leadership in many of these schools, the vision and progress continues, as shown by the hard work and dedication of the faculty and support of the district and community.
All six schools will be formally recognized at the California League of Middle Schools annual conference in Sacramento, February 26-28, 2010. At the conference, they will have an opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and network with other middle grades educators from around the state.
For more information about the Schools to Watch™–Taking Center Stage model school program, visit California Schools to Watch - Taking Center Stage - Middle Grades.