During a ceremony recently, the Moreno Valley Unified School District was named a National Schools to Watch District, becoming one of only 20 districts in the nation with the designation. The recognition comes after Badger Springs and Palm Middle Schools earned their National Schools to Watch status, making all six MVUSD middle schools National Schools to Watch.
The designation recognizes districts and their middle schools for academic excellence, social equity, and responsiveness to their students.
As a responsibility of being selected, the schools are expected to guide and mentor staff at other middle schools, present professional development on their programs at state and national conferences and provide yearly updates on their academic performance and improvement.
“Middle school is a very important time in the development of young people,” said Superintendent Dr. Martinrex Kedziora, “We are extremely proud that all of our middle schools are demonstrating to the nation that we are providing the support for these students to shine brighter in Moreno Valley.”
“All of us on the Board of Education are pleased that after years of continuous improvement in our schools, our district has been recognized for our work to ensure positive academic and social growth for all students,” Board of Education president Jesus Holguin said. “It is a huge recognition to be one of just 20 districts in the United States with this honor.”
The National Schools to Watch program is sponsored by The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. The National Forum seeks to make every middle-grades school academically excellent, responsive to the developmental needs and interests of young adolescents, and socially equitable.