Central to the George W. Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative is Mrs. Laura W. Bush’s charge: “To build a more hopeful...
Central to the George W. Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative is Mrs. Laura W. Bush’s charge: “To build a more hopeful America, we must help our children reach as far as their vision and character can take them." An essential part to building this more hopeful America – ending the gap in academic achievement between minority students and their non-minority peers – is improving our children’s middle schools.
Joining in Mrs. Bush's call to create a more hopeful America, the Bush Institute is privileged to announce the selection of eight middle schools to participate in the Middle School Matters Institute, designed to improve the middle grades (grades 6-8) and leverage the best available research and practices to support student improvement.
The Middle School Matters Institute, a key component of the Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin’s Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, is designed to translate proven research into practical applications, with a tiered method of supporting charter schools, districts, and non-profit organizations.
The selected schools are: Alpine Middle School of Alpine, Texas; Lindale Junior High School of Lindale, Texas; Agnew Middle School of Mesquite, Texas; Martin Middle School of Corpus Christi, Texas; Revere Middle School of Houston, Texas; Ann Richards Middle School of Dallas, Texas; Uplift Mighty Preparatory of Fort Worth, Texas; and Roosevelt Middle School of Erie, Pa.
“Our goal is to deliver the knowledge and support these schools need to ensure their students have the academic foundation to stay in school, improve their academic performance and put themselves on paths to success,” says Kerri Briggs, Director of Education Reform at the Bush Institute.
The schools will receive targeted support by participating in the first annual Middle School Matters Institute Summer Conference June 9-12, 2013 in Austin, Texas, where school leadership teams will have the opportunity to attend development sessions with researchers and practitioners. This guidance will help each school develop a Middle School Matters Implementation Plan tailored to its strengths and areas of growth. The schools will also participate in continued support efforts with researchers throughout the year.
The eight schools were chosen from 44 applicant schools of varying sizes from across the country. Eight schools will be chosen annually to participate in the Middle School Matters Institute.
To access more of our middle school matters resources: visit www.bushcenter.org or www.middleschoolinstitute.org
