Two Schools Receive National Award for High-Quality Teaching and Learning

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Gradient Learning, the nonprofit that leads the Summit Learning program, announced the inaugural recipients of the national Rise Award, which honors schools' commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning. Prairie Heights Middle School in Evans, Colo., and Carter Lomax Middle School in Pasadena, Texas, are being recognized for building systems and a culture that prepares students with the skills and knowledge to succeed not only in school but also in life.

"Congratulations to Prairie Heights and Carter Lomax for receiving our inaugural Rise Award," said Andrew Goldin, Executive Director of Gradient Learning. "These two schools have created tremendous programs that allow students to reach their full potential, leading to a successful future. This recognition is well deserved, and these schools are a model of success that we can all look to in terms of ensuring that all students are thriving.

The Rise Award affirms the hard work of educators, families, and communities that came together to constantly improve the quality of teaching and learning. At the same time, they've created safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging academic opportunities. All of the nearly 400 schools in the Summit Learning community are eligible for the recognition. 

"Prairie Heights Middle School is incredibly honored to receive the Rise award," said Stephanie Knox, Principal at Prairie Heights Middle School. "Four years ago, our learning community came together to adopt a new way of learning and a new way of teaching. Our commitment to our students was to transform tradition, and this award is a representation of the hard work and passion in achieving our best hopes!"

"When we began the journey in personalized learning, it was a mindset change in how teachers teach and students learn," said Norma Penny, Principal of Carter Lomax Middle School. "Through the years, we have seen our students become self-directed learners and teachers build strong relationships with students through mentoring, workshops, and supporting students' individual learning needs. It is through this work that we were able to support all students, enabling them to access content and develop rigorous and robust projects using a cognitive skills continuum. We are honored to receive the RISE distinguished award and so grateful for the hard work of our teachers and students. Lomax is thankful for the incredible support provided by Summit Learning; it allows us to 'RISE' and make the dream for engaging education into a reality every day."

Summit Learning hosted a virtual awards ceremony today for the winners and provided them a platform to share their experiences.   

This is the inaugural year of the Rise Award, and Summit Learning is excited to continue celebrating partner schools with this recognition in the years to come. For more information about the Rise Award, Prairie Heights Middle School, and Carter Lomax Middle School, please visit www.summitlearning.org/rise.

About Summit Learning

Created by teachers with experience in diverse classrooms, Summit Learning is a researched-based approach to education designed to drive student engagement, strong student-teacher connections, and mastery-based learning. With the program, students develop the skills and habits of lifelong learners, while gaining mastery of core subjects like math, history, English, and science. Summit Learning offers schools a customizable curriculum, a range of educational resources and technology tools, professional development for educators, and ongoing coaching and support for schools. Across the nation, Summit Learning serves more than 85,000 students and partners with nearly 400 schools, whose diverse communities are represented through district, charter, and independent schools.  

About Gradient Learning

As a nonprofit organization led by educators, Gradient Learning is a trusted partner — to communities, schools, educators – that creates captivating solutions to meet the holistic needs of every child while fostering success for all. We are empowering an underpowered educational system to work for students of today and tomorrow. Our offerings include the Summit Learning program and Along, an interactive video journal that helps teachers guide students to reflect and grow.

SOURCE Summit Learning