Education Campaign Lauds Award Winners
November 14,2007—Washington D.C.—NCLB Works!, made up of a broad coalition of business, education, community and civil rights groups working in support of efforts to strengthen and reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, applaud the recipients of the 2007 Dispelling the Myth awards for achieving exceptional success in educating low-income students and students of color to high academic levels.
This year's recipients were:
- P.S./M.S. 124 Osmond A. Church School in Queens, N.Y.
- Lockhart Junior High School in Lockhart, Tex.
- North Star Academy Charter School in Newark, N.J.
- Keith L. Ware Elementary School in Fort Riley, Kan.
The Dispelling the Myth awards were created by The Education Trust to honor high-performing and gap-closing schools from around the nation that serve large populations of low-income students or students of color. Schools were recognized for making significant strides in narrowing gaps in academic achievement among student groups, posting achievement that significantly exceeds state averages, or improving student performance at a rapid pace.
"The accomplishments of these schools underscore the belief that when we teach students to high levels and focus on closing achievement gaps, all students can succeed," said Kati Haycock, President of The Education Trust. "While there is still more work to be done, both in these schools and throughout the nation, the Dispelling the Myth recipients are paving the way for the future, emphasizing the ability of committed educators to transform the lives of students who all too often get less than their fair share of the best that American education has to offer."
"The business community, as the primary customer of the U.S. education system, supports efforts to improve the performance of our K-12 education system. We are proud to honor the schools that are working to maintain accountability in our public school system and prepare all of our students to be competitive in the growing international economy," said John J. Castellani, president of Business Roundtable, which is a founding member of the NCLB Works! Campaign.
The awards ceremony was held during the 18th Education Trust National Conference, the leading annual symposium on closing the achievement gaps that persist in our nation's schools. Participants at this year's conference, themed "Courageous Choices: Tackling the Tough Issues to Raise Student Achievement and Close Gaps," examined proven strategies and practices that produce higher achievement levels, from pre-kindergarten all the way through college.
About the 2007 Dispelling the Myth award recipients
P.S./M.S. 124 Osmond A. Church School in Queens, N.Y., serves a mix of African American, Latino, and Asian (mostly new immigrants from India and Pakistan) students, all of whom are low-income. The school has used a rich, coherent curriculum to achieve some of the highest proficiency rates not only in New York City but in New York State. Osmond Church started as an elementary campus and, at the demand of parents, has now extended through the middle school grades.
Lockhart Junior High School pulls students from a 250-square mile area of ranching country surrounding the town of Lockhart, Tex. Over half of the school's 1,000+ students are low-income, half are Latino, and about 10 percent are African American. The school has implemented a careful system to identify and catch any student who enters behind or falls behind during the year. Lockhart has improved significantly over the past five years-a time during which the state raised the bar for what it takes to be considered proficient in reading and math. The school now posts proficiency rates for all groups of students that are much higher than the state's.
North Star Academy Charter School in Newark, N.J., serves students from some of the toughest neighborhoods in one of the toughest cities in the country. Students enter on-par or even behind their peers district-wide, but quickly make great improvement. The school's structured program focuses on making sure that students know exactly what's expected of them and then providing the supports necessary for all students to meet those high expectations. North Star has dedicated itself to making sure that students not just meet state standards, but go on to college.
Keith L. Ware Elementary School is a traditional public school located on the Fort Riley U.S. Army Infantry Base in Fort Riley, Kan. Many of the students' parents are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, and trauma and disruption is a way of life for the families. The student body is 80 percent low-income and reflects the racial/ethnic diversity of the U.S. military. In 1999, Ware was one of the first schools in the state to be put on the 'in need of improvement' list for low test scores. In 2007, Ware became the only elementary school in the state to be awarded certificates of merit for meeting or exceeding reading and mathematics standards in grades 3-5.
About NCLB Works!
NCLB Works! Campaign is made up of a broad coalition of business, education, community and civil rights groups who have come together in support of efforts to strengthen and reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act this year. The coalition believes that NCLB has been instrumental in focusing the nation on improving academic achievement for all students and that the results are encouraging. Coalition members include Business Coalition for Student Achievement, Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights, The Education Trust, The LINKS, Inc., National Center for Educational Accountability and National Council of La Raza. Additional information on the NCLB Works! Campaign can be found at www.nclbworks.org.
About The Education Trust
The Education Trust works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college, and forever closing the achievement gaps that separate low-income students and students of color from other youth. Our basic tenet is this — all children will learn at high levels when they are taught to high levels. For more information, visit www.edtrust.org
