Thurston Middle School gets honors from education alliance

A group of state education agencies recently selected Thurston Middle School as one of 450 Schools to Watch, the second time in three years the Park Avenue campus has earned the honor.

Members from three agencies — the California League of Schools, California Department of Education and California Middle Grades Alliance — called Thurston a “high-performing” school that provides every student with high-quality teachers, resources and support, according to a news release.

“It is truly an honor to be redesignated by the forum,” Thurston Principal Jenny Salberg said in the release. “Our main goal has always been to focus on students’ individual needs. We strive to do the best for them, and we’re happy to be recognized for that.”

Each school needed to meet 37 criteria, which included academic and social standards.

For example, “instructional strategies include a variety of challenging and engaging activities that are clearly related to the concepts and skills being taught,” according to the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform’s website.

The forum, an alliance of more than 60 educators, researchers and national associations, established the Schools to Watch program in 1999.

Both the California Middle Grades Alliance and California League of Schools will officially recognize Thurston during ceremonies the last week of February in Sacramento.

---

Twitter: @AldertonBryce