Marietta Sixth Grade Academy Named Georgia Lighthouse School to Watch

The Marietta Sixth Grade Academy (MSGA) was recently named a Georgia Lighthouse School to Watch as part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. MSGA is one of only 17 other Georgia Schools to receive this honor since the program’s inception in 2002.

MSGA will be honored at the Georgia Middle School Association annual conference in Savannah Feb. 25-26, 2013. In addition, MSGA will be recognized and honored at the National Forum’s annual Schools to Watch conference in Washington, D.C. in June.

“After a long, challenging and comprehensive application process it makes me proud to see that MSGA is now an official Lighthouse School to Watch,” said Dr. Emily Lembeck, Marietta City Schools Superintendent. “This is quite an achievement because out of 488 middle schools statewide, there are only 17 Lighthouse Schools to Watch in Georgia.” 

Schools to Watch program standards incorporate four categories of criteria:

• Academic Excellence,
• Developmental Responsiveness,
• Social Equity (ensure all students receive what they need to excel) and
• Organizational Structures and Processes.

Each school selected also demonstrates strong leadership, teachers work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement.