 Schools to Watch® is an initiative launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in 1999.
The National Forum is an alliance of more than 60 educators, researchers, and officers of national associations and foundations dedicated to improving schools for young adolescents across the country. The National Forum's mission is to unite key stakeholders to speak with a common voice to leverage research, policy, leadership, and replicable model practices to drive middle grades reform.
In order to prepare students to be lifelong learners ready for college, career, and citizenship, the National Forum seeks to make every middle grades school academically excellent, responsive to the developmental needs and interests of young adolescents, and socially equitable.
Through the Schools to Watch® initiative, the National Forum identifies schools across the United States that are well on their way to meeting the Forum's criteria for high performance. Forum members believe that three things are true of high-performing middle-grades schools:
They are academically excellent -- these schools challenge all students to use their minds well.
They are developmentally responsive -- these schools are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence.
They are socially equitable -- these schools are democratic and fair, providing every student with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports.
This year, the Texas Middle School Association and our partner organizations are thrilled to announce that Texas has become the 19th state to participate in this program. We are excited to present this program and to be a part of middle level reform in our state.
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 Why Texas Schools To Watch?
Sites selected as Texas Schools to Watch exemplify the National
Forum's vision and serve as resources for other schools.
We are excited to launch our program this year. We invite you to consider applying for selection.
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middle-grades school into evaluation criteria. We want these criteria to be as useful to a team of classroom teachers as to a group of community members on a school governance committee, to citizens advocating for school improvement, and to an individual parent seeking a good school.