Background History

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations committed to promoting the academic performance and healthy development of young adolescents. The Forum developed in 1997 out of a sense of urgency that middle-grades school improvement had stalled, amid a flurry of descending test scores, increasing reports of school violence, and heated debates about the nature and purpose of middle-grades education. All agreed that nothing short of collective and concerted action could result in high-performing middle-grades schools and students.

Over the past eight years, the Forum has flourished, successfully reframing the national discourse about middle-grades education. For the first time, major organizations, foundations, and others of influence have articulated and affirmed that schools do not have to choose between equity and excellence, or between a healthy school climate and a strong academic program. Rather they must focus on all of these if they want students to achieve at significantly higher levels. The Forum's vision has been endorsed by all Forum members, who now "speak with one voice" and work together to achieve their common vision.

With funding from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Forum has launched several key initiatives. One is communicating the National Forum vision of effective middle-level schooling by identifying and promoting four "Schools to Watch" that exemplify many of the Forum's criteria for high performance. On-line tours of these schools are available at www.schoolstowatch.org.

Another initiative includes developing the next generation of middle-grades leaders. To provide materials for others across the country, the Forum developed its own leadership curriculum that was released in the spring of 2002.

A third initiative is to inform key stakeholders of the need for educators to adopt new policies, programs, and instructional practices. The Forum accomplishes this by articulating and broadly disseminating policy statements and recommendations. These documents address complex and controversial topics, such as ability grouping, teacher preparation and licensure, and high-stakes testing.

By educating policy makers, practitioners, and others about the latest research, effective policy, and best practice, we hope to accelerate school improvement and thereby, healthy development of all students.

The National Forum became an incorporated non-profit in the fall of 2004, and received its 501(c)(3) status in 2005.

 

To learn more about the National Forum, visit www.mgforum.org