California Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage

This website is your guide to the Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage program and a resource for middle level reform. Through this gateway you can:

• Learn more about the national and state Schools to Watch programs.
• Tour the STW-TCS model middle schools and explore the programs, cultures, and characteristics that led to their selection as models for other middle schools.
• Use a powerful School Self-Study and Rating Rubric (PDF) based on the STW criteria and on Taking Center Stage - Act II as a guide for school improvement.
• Discover the benefits of being named a School to Watch™-Taking Center Stage.
• Review the Principal's Checklist and access application materials for the 2014 STW-TCS selection cycle (coming soon).

Considering Applying for 2014?
If you believe your school is a model for others and is on the move toward success in the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures that supports middle level reform, we encourage you to explore the possibility of applying to become a 2014 Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage school.

Application coming soon

Congratulations to the 2013 Schools to Watch!

As the lead agency for the Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage program, the California League of Middle Schools would like to congratulate the following schools on their selection as 2013 Schools to Watch:

• Fairmont School (PDF)
• Pioneer Middle School (PDF)
• Quail Lake Environmental Charter School (PDF)
• San Lorenzo Valley Middle School (PDF)
• Sanger Academy Charter School (PDF)
• Scotts Valley Middle School (PDF)
• Sinaloa Middle School (PDF)
• Summit Intermediate School (PDF)
• Thurston Middle School (PDF)
• Union Middle School (PDF)
• Vanguard Preparatory School (PDF)
• Zamboni Middle School (PDF)

Staff members from these five schools have worked extremely hard to create supportive, engaging communities that actively serve the academic and socio-emotional needs of all learners.

The Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage program is offered by:

Lead Agencies
• California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) (see www.clms.net for program specifics)
• California Department of Education (CDE)

Program Partners
• California Middle Grades Alliance, a partnership of:

Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), California Department of Education (CDE), Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee (CISC) of California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCESA), California League of Middle Schools (CLMS), California Middle Grades Partnership Network (CMGPN), California School Boards Association (CSBA), California Parent Teachers Association (CAPTA), California Teachers Association (CTA), Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA)

• National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
• Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage Model Schools

Media inquiries and questions about the new Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage may be directed to Dr. Irvin Howard, Program Director, at STWCAL@gmail.com or (951) 318-7515