Savannah Chatham County Public School System issued the following announcement on June 10.
Coastal Middle School is one of only twelve schools across the nation to be recognized in the inaugural class as an AMLE School of Distinction. The Schools of Distinction program is designed to both recognize exemplary schools and guide them through a process of strategic vision setting to help foster ongoing growth and success. The program’s evaluation criteria are anchored in AMLE’s landmark position paper on best practice in the middle grades, The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, now in its fifth edition and 40th year of publication.
“We look forward to celebrating these schools and all that makes the middle level special in the coming months,” said Stephanie Patton, Chair of the AMLE Schools of Distinction Committee, “I want to extend a special thanks to everyone who made this inaugural year a success, including the hundreds of school community stakeholders that participated and our committee members and AMLE staff who dedicated many hours to supporting the schools throughout the process.”
Each recipient school completed a rigorous review process that measured their implementation of the characteristics of successful middle grades schools and continuous improvement plans. “We are delighted to recognize these amazing schools that truly highlight for our communities the exceptional work that takes place every day in middle level education,” said Stephanie Simpson, CEO of AMLE, “We hope for these inaugural recipients to lead the way in creating a network of educators committed to the middle school model that can lean from and support each other.” Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, AMLE will publish profiles for each school to promote and share the exemplary practices occurring in each of the recipient schools.
“We are excited to champion these schools and look forward to seeing them grow and positively impact their students,” said Dr. Lisa Harrison, Chair of the AMLE Board of Trustees, “We congratulate all of the dedicated educators and their respective school communities on this outstanding achievement.”
As a recipient school, Coastal Middle staff will be recognized and present on their exemplary practices live at the #AMLE22: The 49th Annual Conference for Middle Level Education this November in Orlando, Florida. Five other middle schools in the state of Georgia are also part of the inaugural class. Each of the Georgia schools recognized have also been named Lighthouse Schools to Watch. Coastal Middle School Principal Allison Schuster-Jones says her school’s evaluation “noted the school’s strong culture and responsiveness to the needs of middle school learners.”
AMLE will continue to recognize schools that meet the Schools of Distinction criteria on an annual basis. The program is open to any school that educates 10–15-year-old students. The AMLE website contains more information about AMLE Schools of Distinction and The Successful Middle School Program.
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