Middle Schools In Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes Among 6 To Get Distinction

WYCKOFF AND FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — Are middle school years really — as one movie has put it — "The worst years of my life"? Not if the schools themselves can help it.

Six New Jersey Middle Schools have received "National Schools To Watch" recognition for 2024 from the National Forum Advancing Excellence in the Middle Grades, the group announced last week — and two are in Bergen County.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff has been redesignated for this year, after being first designated back in 2016.

And Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes has been designated for the first time.

NJ Schools To Watch state leaders select each school based on four categories that are evaluated: Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Structures and Processes.

Schools that apply must complete a written application which includes a self-rubric to identify strengths and weakness while looking for potential areas for improvement.

Applications are reviewed by the selection committee, and some schools will get a site visit.

The NJ Schools To Watch leadership team met and selected the following schools for recognition:

• Richard Butler MS – Butler
• Franklin Avenue MS - Franklin Lakes
• Carl H. Kumpf MS – Clark, NJ
• Dwight D. Eisenhower MS – Wyckoff
• William Annin MS - Basking Ridge
• George Washington MS – Wayne

The group said in a release, "The recognized schools will be acknowledged at theNJAMLE State Conference at Brookdale College on March 13, 2024 and honored nationally at the National Forum’s Schools To Watch Conference in Washington, DC on June 20-22, 2024."

The National Forum is an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and education foundations dedicated to improving middle-grades education for young adolescents. Starting in 1999, the Schools to Watch program began as a national program to identify exceptional middle-grades schools across the country.

Schools are recognized for a three-year period and at the end of three years must demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Schools must also collaborate with other middle-level schools.

The Schools To Watch process is a tool to help middle-level educators evaluate their schools and seek ways to improve. Outstanding middle schools are encouraged to apply.

Find out more about NJ Schools To Watch: https://www.njschoolstowatch.o...
Find out about the National Forum Advancing Excellence in the Middle Grades: https://www.middlegradesforum....