Second Time's A Charm! Mellon Middle School Named “School to Watch”

Mellon Middle School has been re-designated as a Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn “School to Watch” for the second time. This honor highlights Mellon’s dedication to fostering a supportive and innovative educational environment. The school will be celebrated on a local and national level in the spring of 2025. 

Mellon Middle School is among 62 middle schools across Pennsylvania recognized by Schools to Watch since 2006-07, joining 38 others currently active in the program.

PA STW State leaders selected each school for its Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity, and Organizational Structures and Processes. In addition, each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement. 

The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by a state team, which observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and looked at achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work. Schools are recognized for three years, and at the end of three years, they need to re-apply to continue to be recognized as a STW school.

Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grade schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 research-based criteria developed by the National Forum. There are now 20 states across the country, which have trained Schools to Watch State Teams, with more than 650 schools recognized across the country.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools: Schools to Watch Program, visit its website.