State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Applauds
California Schools Receiving National Honor
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell applauded the achievement of 21 California public schools named this morning by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as 2010 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
The schools were among 304 schools nationwide to receive the prestigious award during the announcement this morning in Washington D.C.
"I congratulate these outstanding schools and celebrate this accomplishment made possible by hard work, commitment, and a determination to provide a rigorous education that is helping their students reach their full potential," O'Connell said. "I hope other schools will be able to follow their lead and turn struggle into success."
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program (BRSP) recognizes elementary and secondary schools that are both academically superior and have demonstrated dramatic gains in student achievement while serving an economically disadvantaged population of students. Schools so recognized are national models of excellence that other schools may emulate. All of the 2010 recipients were either previous California Distinguished Schools or Title I Academic Achieving Award schools.
The list of schools is attached.
Each of California's 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools serves a large population of disadvantaged students—ranging from 48 percent of the school's enrollment to 100 percent—and all have a history of dramatically improved achievement in English-language arts and in mathematics. On average, these 2010 Blue Ribbon schools increased the percentage of students scoring at the "proficient" and the "advanced" levels by 49 percent on statewide tests.
The 2010 schools were initially nominated last fall on the basis of their achievement history for 2005 to 2009, but in order for final Blue Ribbon certification, the schools had to make all of their 2010 Academic Performance Index state targets and all Adequate Yearly Progress federal accountability targets. The 2010 data are preliminary until the final results are released to the public on September 13.
California's 2010 National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored on November 15-16 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Two people from each school, the principal and a teacher, are invited to participate. Each school will receive a plaque and a flag to signify its Blue Ribbon School status.
A priority for selection is made for socioeconomically disadvantaged schools that have either shown dramatic improvement in student achievement from 2005 to 2009 or schools that have maintained a superior level of achievement from 2004 to 2008. The U.S. Department of Education designates a public school as "disadvantaged" if 40 percent or more of the students either: (a) participate in the National School Lunch Program; (b) have parents who did not earn a high school diploma; (c) receive Migrant Education services; or (d) are classified as English learners.
In addition to the 21 California public schools, four California private schools were designated as 2010 National Blue Ribbon Schools. They are named in the attachment below.
The U.S. Secretary of Education has recognized more than 6,000 outstanding schools in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program over the past 28 years. To obtain further information on the program and review a list of 2010 winners nationwide, please visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site at:Awards - Blue Ribbon Schools Program (Outside Source).
Attachment
California's 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools (Public)
County | District | School |
|---|---|---|
Alameda | Oakland Unified | Lincoln Elementary |
Fresno | Clovis Unified | Jefferson Elementary |
Fresno | Sanger Unified | Centerville Elementary |
Los Angeles | Hawthorne | Hawthorne Math and Science Academy |
Los Angeles | Inglewood Unified | Highland Elementary |
Los Angeles | Little Lake City Elementary | William W. Orr Elementary |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Synergy Charter Academy |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | South Shores/CSUDH Visual & Perform |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Superior Street Elementary |
Orange | Capistrano Unified | Richard Henry Dana Elementary |
Orange | Garden Grove Unified | Sunnyside Elementary |
Orange | Santa Ana Unified | Carl Harvey Elementary |
Riverside | Lake Elsinore Unified | Withrow Elementary |
Sacramento | Sacramento City Unified | Aspire- Capitol Heights Academy |
Sacramento | Sacramento City Unified | Camellia Elementary |
San Bernardino | Apple Valley Unified | Sycamore Rocks Elementary |
San Diego | Chula Vista Elementary | Otay Elementary |
San Diego | San Diego Unified | Kearny Digital Media & Design |
San Diego | San Diego Unified | Preuss School UCSD |
Santa Clara | Alum Rock Union Elementary | KIPP Heartwood Academy |
Sonoma | Two Rock Union | Two Rock Elementary |
California's 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools (Private)
County | City | School |
|---|---|---|
Orange | San Juan Capistrano | Capistrano Valley Christian |
Los Angeles | Rancho Palos Verdes | St. John Fisher School |
San Mateo | Hillsborough | The Nueva School |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles | The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am |
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