Your school is invited to demonstrate its progress in becoming a high-performing middle grades school by applying for this prestigious national recognition. Schools to Watch are schools that are
• Academically Excellent. These schools challenge all students to use their minds well.
• Developmentally Responsive. These schools are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence.
• Socially Equitable. These schools are democratic and fair, providing every student with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports.

To achieve this level of performance, high-performing schools establish norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain their trajectory toward excellence. They have a sense of purpose that drives every facet of practice and decision-making.

Recognized schools will be featured in state and national publications, and will be visited by educators from around the country looking to see where "things are being done right." Schools will also participate in professional development, and will serve as a model for other schools using the Schools to Watch Criteria to guide school improvement and reform. Schools visited by the selection committee but not selected for Schools to Watch recognition will be offered a half-day follow-up visit to discuss particular strengths and challenges of the school and ways in which NCMSA and DPI can assist the school in its efforts to meet the criteria.

Wondering if your school is ready? We invite you to download and use the Schools to Watch Self-Study Tool that will give you a good read on where your school is in terms of meeting the criteria.

Ready to Apply? Here is the 2010 Schools to Watch Application. Applications are due August 15th.

With over 30 Schools to Watch, there are schools around the state you can visit and from which you can learn. Some have well over a thousand students. Others only a couple hundred. We have schools in rural areas, the suburbs, and inner city schools. Our Schools to Watch run the gamut in terms of demographics and diversity, and we invite you to see what programs and practices they have that you may want to explore.

We invite you to check out the profiles of our Schools to Watch. Please feel free to contact or visit them.