2026 Exemplary Practice School: George Washington Middle School

Implementation of Collaborative Teams: An Effective Middle School Practice 

At George Washington Middle School, the belief that “All Means All” serves as the foundation for implementing the middle school practice of collaboration. The school recognizes the critical connection between academics, attendance, and the performance of subgroups in achieving success.  Staff work together to design programs and processes that support the growth of every student. The school’s journey began in 2022 when scores in multiple areas fell below expectations, prompting a renewed commitment to improvement. Through research-based, teacher-led professional learning communities, educators analyzed data and set meaningful goals.

Over time, teacher-developed pacing guides provided focus, while ongoing data analysis and reflection led to schoolwide collaboration to improve literacy proficiency and attendance. Collaborative teams introduced a comprehensive literacy initiative and implemented student-data notebooks to support learners and track progress toward student goals. In 2024, the formation of a Guiding Coalition accelerated improvement efforts and reinforced a whole-school approach. Literacy practices are emphasized schoolwide through a collaboratively designed approach in all classrooms.

These initiatives resulted in an 18% increase in English Language Arts proficiency, a 6% gain for students with disabilities, and a nearly 20% reduction in chronic absenteeism. Moving forward, the school will continue to strengthen collaborative practices and fully implement the middle-school model to ensure that teamwork among educators remains central to driving student success.