Schools to Watch
A site that features exemplary middle schools and how they achieve excellence.
Grade Level: Professional, Parents
http://www.schoolstowatch.org/
CONTENT: Schools to Watch was launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. It features schools that were determined to be high performing schools according to stringent criteria in four different areas and includes information and tools that will help other schools in their school improvement efforts.
AESTHETICS: The site has a nice, standard layout and a Flash introduction. There is the option of skipping the introduction, which makes it possible to view the site without the Flash plug-in.
ORGANIZATION: Menu bars at the top and bottom of each page for the whole site and individual sections make navigating easy.
REVIEW: Administrators, teachers, parents, and community leaders can now see what a high-performing middle school looks like. The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform has identified the following four criteria that distinguish these schools as high performers: academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and the organizational structures that support them. Visitors can take a virtual tour of each of the schools, meet the principal, and see how each school has met the National Forum's criteria for high performance. Available on the site are instructions for conducting activities using the criteria and a printable School Assessment Survey.
