Friday, January 24, 2003

Schools to watch: Lighthouse and Crabapple

If you want to see excellence in action, look to Crabapple and Taylor Road middle schools. Both have been recognized as schools to watch.

Crabapple Middle School was one of two schools in the state awarded recognition as a Georgia "Lighthouse Schools to Watch." Taylor Road Middle School was one of four schools named as "Beacons."

In 2002, the National Forum selected California, Georgia, and North Carolina to replicate the national "Schools to Watch" program as a way to introduce the Forum's criteria for high-performance and identify middle grades schools that meet or exceed that criteria.

In Georgia, the Georgia Middle School Association and the Georgia Alliance for Middle Level Excellence took the lead in promoting the program.

The schools were selected for their academic excellence, responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, and their commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels.

In addition, each school had strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability in order to bring about continuous improvement.

School selection was based on a written application showing how the school met various criteria developed by the National Forum, including student performance. Finalists were visited by state teams who observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, parents, and students, and looked at sample lessons and student work.

"The Georgia Lighthouse Schools to Watch program has recognized those outstanding schools that promote academic excellence for all students, while responding to the unique developmental needs of young adolescents," said John Lounsbury, Co-Chair of the Georgia program. Linda Hopping, Co-Chair with Dr. Lounsbury, elaborated, "We are eager to share with other schools around our state ­ and around the nation ­ the work of these schools and the excellent and equitable programs and practices they have instituted that are uniquely suited to middle level students," she said.

Crabapple Middle School, as a result of this recognition, will present a showcase on the school at the Georgia Middle School Association conference in Savannah on February 20-21, 2003.

They will also participate in an official recognition ceremony at the general session. Next November the school will be a "Showcase School" at the National Middle School Association annual conference in Atlanta, November 6-8, 2003.

This conference typically draws 9,000 middle level educators from throughout the country. The school will be featured in a video that will be distributed and used by both the National Forum and the Georgia Middle School Association, will be on the web sites of both of those organizations, as well as the State Department of Education web site, and will serve as a mentor for other schools aspiring to this status.

"We are so pleased that our 'Schools to Watch' program has shown others that we can meet high academic expectations while preserving our commitment to healthy development and equity for all students," said Deborah Kasak, National Forum Executive Director.

"Crabapple Middle School is indeed special; they make education so exciting that students and teachers don't want to miss a day. These middle grades schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers to achieving excellence, to become places of learning that adults and children truly want to be a part of," Kasak said.

The National Forum sponsors the "Schools to Watch" state program with the support of members, the National Association for Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Middle School Association, and the National Staff Development Council.