U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Celebrates 314 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools
Seven principals honored with Terrel H. Bell Award for outstanding leadership
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today will honor 314 schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools at an awards luncheon at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or for their progress toward significantly improving student academic achievement levels. The schools—264 public and 50 private, are among more than 7,000 that have received the coveted award over the past 30 years.
"Our nation has no greater responsibility than helping all children realize their full potential," Duncan said. "Schools honored with the National Blue Ribbon Schools award are committed to accelerating student achievement and preparing students for success in college and careers. Their work reflects the conviction that every child has promise and that education is the surest pathway to a strong, secure future."
Additionally, seven principals from the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools were selected for special honors to recognize their leadership. At a breakfast ceremony today, these principals received the Terrel H. Bell Award for their outstanding efforts to foster successful teaching and learning. The award is named after the former secretary of education and honors exceptional leaders who overcome challenging circumstances and maintain a commitment to providing an excellent education for every student.
The Terrel H. Bell Awards were presented to the following principals by the U.S. Department of Education, together with the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association for Middle Level Education and the National Association of Secondary School Principals:
| Principal | School | City | State |
| Pam Camper | Russell D. Jones Elementary School | Rogers | Arkansas |
| Christopher Todd Hall | Pocomoke Elementary School | Pocomoke City | Maryland |
| Blaine Helwig | J. Walter Graham Elementary School | Austin | Texas |
| Tracy McDaniel | KIPP Reach College Preparatory School | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma |
| James Mireles | Garden City High School | Garden City | Kansas |
| Dianne Reynolds | Spencer Elementary School | Mobile | Alabama |
| Liana Szeto | Alice Fong Yu Alternative School | San Francisco | California |
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes schools in one of two performance categories. The first category is "Exemplary High Performing," in which schools are recognized among their state's highest performing schools, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests. The second category is "Exemplary Improving," in which schools where at least 40 percent of students are from disadvantaged backgrounds demonstrate the most progress in improving student achievement levels, as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests.
To select the schools, the Department requests nominations from the top education official in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. A total of 417 schools nationwide may be nominated, with allocations determined by the numbers of K-12 students and schools in each jurisdiction. The Secretary of Education invites nominated schools to submit an application for possible recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School.
The Terrel H. Bell Award is part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Principals are nominated by their school communities during the final stages of the National Blue Ribbon Schools application process.
A list of the 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools is available at http://www.ed.gov/nationalblueribbonschools.
Bells Ring for Top Principals at National Blue Ribbon Schools Ceremony
Behind every great school stands a great principal. “It’s the principal who shapes the vision, sets the tone, and targets the energy of the many people who run a school, Sec. Duncan said. “It’s the principal who inspires, cajoles, and models the excellence he or she knows the school can reach.”
Every year the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program invites nominations for the esteemed Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership. This year, seven principals of 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools have earned this distinction. They are:
- Pam Camper, Principal of Russell D. Jones Elementary School in Rogers, Arkansas
Frequently described as “tenacious,” Pam Camper reorganized her elementary school to maximize learning for her students, nearly three-quarters of whom are English learners, by hiring bilingual teachers and pairing classroom and English language development teachers as co-teachers. Through her outreach, parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences is 100%. Ms. Camper also spearheaded an extensive reading effort: Russell Jones Elementary raised funds to add more than 4,000 new books to the school library. Last year, more than 200 certified candidates applied for the few open teaching positions. - Christopher Todd Hall, Principal of Pocomoke Elementary School, Pocomoke City, Maryland
Student performance at Pocomoke Elementary School performed was “persistently modest” when Todd Hall was appointed principal. After reviewing student data, Mr. Hall created a five-year plan to move Pocomoke from modest to masterful, based on: universal high expectations, data analysis, and data-driven instruction. Now every Pocomoke student has an individual learning plan—and a portrait in a graduation cap and gown in the school’s entryway. Mr. Hall empowered teachers through Common Core-aligned professional development, daily grade-level planning time, and peer-supported teaching assistance. Achievement gaps among student groups have been virtually eliminated. - Blaine Helwig, Principal of J. Walter Graham Elementary School, Austin, Texas
To bring student scores from “barely acceptable” to exemplary in five years, Mr. Helwig devised strategies to help students master fundamental math and reading skills and designed a progress monitoring system for teachers that pinpoints what students know and what they need to learn next. He taps all specialists and staff to get extra help to students who need it. Mr. Helwig is also a skilled collaborator, bringing community and business groups in to build a School Garden and illustrate hallways with murals. - Tracy McDaniel, Principal of KIPP Reach College Preparatory School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Mr. McDaniel stepped off a traditional path to school administration to follow his dream. In 2002, he opened KIPP Reach College Preparatory, a charter middle school in the economically battered inner city neighborhood where he grew up. Admitting students by open lottery, Mr. McDaniel has used KIPP-customized curricula and extended student time on task through longer school days, Saturday school, and summer programs to give KIPP Reach students the momentum to succeed in high school and earn places at highly selective colleges and universities across the country. - James Mireles, Principal of Garden City High School, Garden City, Kansas
When James Mireles arrived, half of Garden City HS students were not passing the state reading test and two-thirds were not passing the math test. To turn the 2,000-pupil school around, he created four student-centered academies and dissolved the culture of teacher isolation, instituting professional learning communities and common planning time during the school day. With grant funding, Mr. Mireles spearheaded an early warning system to identify and reach students at risk of dropping out, bringing the graduation rate up 17%. - Dianne Reynolds, Principal of Spencer Elementary School, Mobile, Alabama
Spencer Elementary was close to a state takeover when Dianne Reynolds took the helm in 2004. In that first year, she overhauled Spencer’s ideals, expectations, and methods. She instituted professional learning communities, regular data meetings, and targeted professional development. Ms. Reynolds championed student competitions in reading and math, introduced character education, and scheduled intervention and enrichment activities to meet targeted student needs. Spencer Elementary School has just celebrated its second year as an Alabama Torchbearer School, a high achieving, high poverty school. - Liana Szeto, Principal of Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, San Francisco, California
Hired in 1984 as a kindergarten teacher in the nation’s first public school Chinese Immersion Program, Liana Szeto has been tireless in developing Chinese curricula and materials, and in drawing students from all backgrounds. 1995, she opened Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, the first Chinese Immersion middle school in the country, backed by the same kind of rigorous preparation that ensured success in the elementary level program. Ms. Szeto has inspired other San Francisco educators as well: more than 15 schools offer full immersion programs in four languages.