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Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Featured Speakers
Conference Schedule
Thursday, June 20
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Conference Registration / Coffee: 8:00 am
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Welcome / Parade of States: 9:00 am
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Keynote: 9:30 - 10:30 am
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State Meet-ups: 10:45 - 11:30 am
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Lunch on your own: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Session 1: 1:00 - 1:45 pm
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Session 2: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
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STW Awards - New Schools: 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Friday, June 21
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Conference Registration / Coffee: 8:00 am
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Keynote: 9:00 - 10:30 am
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Session 3: 10:45 - 11:30 am
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Lunch on your own: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
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Session 4: 1:00 - 1:45 pm
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Session 5: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
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STW Awards:
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Redesignation Levels 2 & 3 Schools
3:30 - 4:15 pm -
Redesignation Levels 1 & 4-7 Schools
4:30 - 5:15 pm
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Saturday, June 22
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Continental Breakfast: 8:30 - 9:30 am
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The BOSS Educator: 9:30 - 11:00 am
Schedule is subject to change.
SCHOOLS TO WATCH
AWARD CELEBRATIONS
NEW AND REDESIGNATING
SCHOOLS TO WATCH
WILL BE HONORED!
Bring your team, dress to the nines, and celebrate your success!
Conference Sponsors
Thursday Keynote Speaker Sponsor
Sown To Grow is a comprehensive student support platform that empowers schools to improve student social, emotional, and academic well-being through an easy and engaging reflection and feedback process. Designed by a team of former educators for practical classroom impact, Sown To Grow offers a simple Tier 1 practice for building a sense of belonging and key life skills, with real-time data on well-being and actionable resources for proactively supporting student needs.
Table Sponsor
- Scoutlier by Aecern helps teachers create scaffold, differentiate, and inspiring lessons to engage middle-school students in STEM and other subjects.
- Scoutlier and its content are free and have been both funded and designed by the National Science Foundation, MIT Critical Data, and the DOE to help teachers scaffold, differentiate, and inspire students in classrooms of any size.
Photo Booth Sponsor
Arts Attack is a K-8 digital visual arts program along with Artful Reading that includes 10 read aloud books that are correlated to art lessons in the program.
Table Sponsor
Great Falls Travel, an educator-owned and operated travel company, specializes in customized educational tours for students. Our experienced team of educators designs itineraries aligned with educational goals, focusing on destinations with rich learning opportunities. We handle all trip details, prioritizing safety, engagement, and unique experiences. Our commitment to memorable, educational travel sets us apart.
Hill Visits
DIY Guide is Available
Advocacy is a critical component of education policy and practice, and we want to help you make your voice heard on Capitol Hill. With our DIY Visit Guide, you can schedule and prepare for a meeting with your Senator or Representative during the National Schools to Watch Conference. Download it now and get ready to make an impact.
Early Bird
Register before January 31, 2024
Schools to Watch: $399 per person
Non-STW: $419
Standard Rate
Register between
February 1, 2024 and April 15, 2024
Schools to Watch: $449 per person
Non-STW: $489 per person
Don't Be Late!
Register between
April 15, 2024 and the day of the event
Schools to Watch: $499 per person
Non-STW: $519 per person
ALL ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE AT:
Crystal Gateway Marriott
(not Crystal City)
1700 Richmond Hwy.
Arlington, VA 22202
Special Room Rate: $262 plus taxes & fees
Make your hotel reservations online
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What types of membership are available?There are three types of membership: • Advocating Member (Individual) : $39 • Contributing Member (Individual) : $69 • Institutional Member (School) : $99/year or $275/3-years
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What is the renewal schedule for Memberships?Membership renewals occur on the date of the initial enrollment. For Institutional Memberships, schools have the option of selecting a one-year ($99) or a three-year ($275) Institutional Membership.
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What is Institutional Membership in the National Forum?Institutional Membership with the Forum is a whole-school designation available to schools that believe in and support the mission and vision of the Forum and that include one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
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Why must a school have one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 to apply for Institutional Membership?Grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 comprise the middle grades, and the vast majority of young adolescents (those students aged 10-15) are in these grades. Since the middle grades and young adolescents are the foci of the Forum’s work, it made sense that the Forum should limit (at least initially) Institutional Membership to those schools with one or more of the middle grades.
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Can schools that are not Schools to Watch be granted Institutional Membership?Yes, but they must believe in and support the Mission and Vision of the Forum and include one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
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Can schools that are not eligible to be designated as Schools to Watch be granted Institutional Membership?Yes, but they must believe in and support the Mission and Vision of the Forum and include one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
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How is the Forum’s Institutional Membership different from its other memberships?Institutional Membership differs in several ways from currently existing memberships (Contributing Memberships and Advocating Memberships): • First, Institutional Membership is a whole-school membership while the Forum’s two other memberships are for individuals only. • Second, the Institutional Membership targets schools that believe in the Forum’s Mission and Vision and have one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9; Contributing and Advocating Memberships are for individuals who may or may not be in a School to Watch but who wish to be more active and involved in the Forum’s effort to “accelerate middle grades reform”. • Third, the Institutional Membership category provides the Forum with a mechanism to engage and communicate with a broader constituency of middle-level practitioners (nationally and internationally) than do the existing membership classifications.
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What are the benefits of being an Institutional Member?The benefits of being an Institutional Member include: • The personal satisfaction of supporting the Forum in its efforts to speak with a common voice to leverage research, policy, leadership, and replicable practices to drive middle grades reform (being part of a “movement”) • Opportunities to give back to the profession (paying it forward) • Periodic reports on Forum projects to accelerate middle-grades reform • Special rates for Forum-sponsored activities • Access to all Forum publications, reports, and white papers • Access to a national network of middle-level schools that shares a common philosophy, mission, and vision.
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Is it possible for one person to have both a Contributing Membership and an Institutional Membership?Technically no, since Institutional Membership is available only to an eligible school and not to an individual. That being said, a person could be both a Contributing Member and a member of a school with an Institutional Membership.
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Must a School to Watch become an Institutional Member?Not at this time, but given the benefits of membership it is highly recommended that every School to Watch be an Institutional Member of the Forum.
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Can other than public schools be Institutional Members?Yes, as long as they believe in and support the Mission and Vision of the Forum and that include one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
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Can an organization other than a school (e.g., philanthropic organization and state organization) have an Institutional Membership?No. Institutional Memberships are only for schools that believe in and support the Mission and Vision of the Forum and include one or more of the following grades – 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
Schedule subject to change