The Colorado Trailblazer Schools to Watch initiative has been a part of the Colorado Association of Middle Level Education (CAMLE) since 2003.  CAMLE works with Colorado Trailblazer Schools to Watch to showcase their evidence-based strategies at statewide and regional conferences, workshops, and school site visits.  All of the Colorado Schools to Watch open their doors to visitors who are interested in learning replicable practices that can be implemented in any school system.

Colorado Trailblazer Schools to Watch program is part of a national force in middle grades education.  The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform identifies high-performing middle grades schools that are academically excellent, responsive to the developmental challenges of young adolescents, and socially equitable holding high expectations for all students.  Designated schools are then charged with the responsibility to work with other schools around their state to raise the level of student achievement for all middle level grade students.

State  school sites become part of the National Schools to Watch network, as they exemplify the National Forum’s vision articulated in an easy-to-use, research-based assessment framework detailing practices identifiable in exemplary middle level schools. 

The purpose of this program is to help Colorado middle level schools utilize the powerful Schools to Watch framework in order to maximize their own school improvement endeavors.

For more information, contact Katie Gustafson, State Directors of Colorado Schools to Watch.