A Program for Middle-Grades Schools on a Successful Trajectory of Improvement
By Paul A. Meck

A Success Story: The Journey to Becoming a Recognized School to Watch

The first day of February 2008 was important for the middle level schools that were visited by the Pennsylvania Schools to Watch State Team. Along with five other schools, Meadville Area Middle School was anticipating notification on the decision of the State Team—would they be recognized as a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School? The answer was that they were not being recognized. Although disappointed in the decision, the middle school principal, Rebecca James, immediately took the first steps in making programmatic changes. The work of Rebecca and her leadership team was based on the report of the visitation team. One year later the response from the Pennsylvania Schools to Watch Team was different: Meadville Area Middle School was being designated as a School to Watch.

This success story was shared in a similar manner by three of Pennsylvania’s 2009-2012 Don Eichhorn Schools. Each school seriously examined the recommendations imbedded in a detailed report of the Schools to Watch State Team and implemented significant changes in a few specific areas. The Meadville learning community made important changes in the areas of a school-wide shared vision, teaming, integrating curriculum, and differentiating instruction. Amazingly, the impact of their work resulted in important growth to the schools’ trajectory of improvement. These schools have demonstrated the real purpose of the Schools to Watch program—helping schools build capacity and continue to improve. A teacher from a visited school shared this observation following the state team’s visit, "Regardless of whether we are designated a school to watch, it was refreshing to be evaluated by criteria other than a set of PSSA test scores. A school is so much more. A school to watch is such a better idea than a school on the watch list."

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform is an alliance of over 60 educators, national associations, and officers of professional associations and foundations committed to promoting the academic performance and healthy development of young adolescents. Created in 1997, at a time when test scores were falling, reported school violence was increasing, and the nature and purpose of middle level education were fully debated, the “National Forum” developed the original Schools to Watch criteria. It identified middle-grades schools that exemplified high performance in the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structures and processes. In 2002, three state programs were created to replicate the recognition program designed by the National Forum. In 2006 Pennsylvania became the twelfth state to initiate a local Schools to Watch program. Additionally, the National Forum convenes the annual national Schools to Watch conference (June, Washington D.C.). This conference is open to both Schools to Watch and those that aspire to become Schools to Watch.

Dr. Donald Eichhorn is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the middle school movement in Pennsylvania. Don was the one who coined the term “transescence” to describe the stage of development that begins prior to the onset of puberty and extends through the early stages of adolescence. He organized the first middle school in Pennsylvania, Fort Couch Middle School, in the Upper Saint Clair School District. Dr. Eichhorn was passionate about the middle level and designing programs to meet all the developmental needs of all students.

From 1992 to 2006, the Pennsylvania Middle School Association presented an award, named for Dr. Eichhorn, to schools that demonstrated the successful implementation of middle level practices and commitment to middle level philosophy. As a “Schools to Watch” state, Pennsylvania recreated the National Schools to Watch program along with the Pennsylvania Middle School Association Don Eichhorn Award concept to form the Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch program. It is sponsored by Pennsylvania Middle School Association along with Pennsylvania Department of Education, Duquesne University, Lehigh University and Texas Instruments. Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch is now the state affiliate of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform’s national Schools to Watch program.

What It Means To Be a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School
As a “Schools to Watch” state, Pennsylvania recreated the National Schools to Watch program to address its unique context. The Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch program seeks to recognize a small number of diverse, high-performing, growth-oriented middle grades schools to demonstrate what all middle grades schools are capable of achieving.

Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools are schools that demonstrate:

• Academic Excellence. These schools challenge all students to use their minds well.
• Developmental Responsiveness. These schools are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence.
• Social Equity. These schools are democratic and fair, providing every student with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports.
• Organizational Structures and Processes. High-performing schools establish norms, structures, and organizational arrangements to support and sustain their trajectory toward excellence.

Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Is Different From Other Recognition Programs

Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch is designed especially for the middle grades. Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch is both a recognition and a capacity building program. Designations are earned based on achievement across the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and school organization. Schools are recognized for a three year period and must re-apply in order to receive re-designation status. In addition, it offers participants membership in an ever-growing network of schools interested in accelerating their local trajectory of improvement.

There is a sense of urgency that high-performing middle grades schools become the norm, not the exception. The National Forum identified a set of 37 selection criteria to describe high-performing schools that serve students in the middle grades. Many Pennsylvania schools find the self-study tool containing the Schools to Watch criteria offers a great starting point for joining the program. The school faculty and staff use the self-study instrument and find the insights revealed through this rubric are powerful and rewarding. Opportunities for designing a school-wide vision, in depth collaboration on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and school initiatives, and addressing areas that are less well developed within the school are only a few of the immediate benefits schools are discovering.

The Pennsylvania Schools to Watch Network

Once schools have taken the self-study instrument, joined the network, and studied the implications of the 37 criteria for their programs, they may decide to begin the application process. A school must convene a school and community team to investigate and clearly articulate in writing their achievement in the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and school organization. Applications are submitted prior to a posted deadline and screened by the Pennsylvania Schools to Watch State Team. In the event an application is of great interest to the readers, the school may receive an in-depth site visit from members of the State Team.

Ready or Not to Be a Recognized Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School

It is important to note that schools do not compete with each other for designations, but rather they compete with the rigorous criteria used to identify high-performing schools. If an application is of great interest to the readers, the school will be selected for site visitation. From the moment a school begins working with the self-rating rubric, increasing capacity for school improvement is realized. Even schools not ready to be designated a School to Watch or be visited by the state team receive valuable feedback on the application and join the Pennsylvania Schools to Watch Network. Schools receiving a site visit are provided with a complete report of findings based on each of the 37 Schools to Watch criteria and a listing of school strengths and areas to consider for future growth initiatives.

Some schools are not ready to be recognized as a School to Watch. These schools are offered consultation from the state team, encouraged to continue their journey of improvement and reapply in the future. Schools very close to designation may be commended for their work with a certificate for emerging schools, Pennsylvania Keystone Schools. These schools are encouraged to address some very specific areas and reapply when improvement is evident. They are also offered consultation from the state team.

Recognized schools have exemplars throughout the school that can be easily replicated in other middle level schools. These schools have made a commitment to improvement and have produced clear evidence of significant achievement, shared vision, and beneficial programming for all students. Even recognized Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools receive meaningful feedback and immediately continue the process of school improvement with the support of Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Program. Recognized schools serve as a high-performing, growth-oriented middle grades model that demonstrates what all middle grades schools are capable of achieving. At every stage, Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools are building capacity to increase student achievement.

Schools Participate in Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Program

There are many ways schools participate in Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch regardless of whether or not application is made to receive the designation. They include:
• Being commended as a PA Keystone School (aspiring PA Don Eichhorn School)
• Joining the PA Schools to Watch Network
• Attending Schools to Watch information and/or professional development sessions
• Participating in the National Schools to Watch Conference and
• Visiting a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School

Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools Accept Responsibilities and Reap Benefits

Recognized Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools agree to participate in all aspects of the program including, but not limited to, recognition celebrations, induction and orientation, professional development and school improvement consultations, visits from others who seek to improve their schools, Pennsylvania Schools to Watch Network member, and documentation of Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch practices. A designee recognizes that being a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School demands increased attention to high, dynamic and sustained performance. Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools welcome the opportunity to share knowledge and experience with others and work as mentors to accelerate middle grades reform in Pennsylvania.

While being selected as a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School provides others with a representative model of how effective middle grades schools work, it also provides the receiving school an opportunity for new reflection, professional development and consultation, and Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch community involvement via the state and national network of Schools to Watch. As there are currently more than 200 Schools to Watch in the nation, a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn School is recognized as a forward thinking, achievement and equity-driven organization committed to the development of both young adolescents and adult learners.

Current Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch

Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch State Team

• Robert Furman, furman@duq.edu
• Debbie Lappano, deblappano@yahoo.com
• Jo Beth McKee, jobmckee@state.pa.us
• Paul Meck, Director, pmeck@verizon.net
• Bruce Vosburgh, bvosbur@ucfsd.org
• Lou White, dellwhite@verizon.net

Paul A. Meck is a retired middle level educator from Mechanicsburg Area School Distict in Mechanicsburg, PA.
In addition to serving as Director of Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Program, he is President-Elect of the Pennsylvania Middle School Association.
His e-mail address is pmeck@verizon.net.