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Melinda Kitchell Malico
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RILEY RECOGNIZES 88 SCHOOLS
WITH OUTSTANDING TITLE I PROGRAMS
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today cited 88 elementary and secondary schools with outstanding Title I programs. Title I serves students who live in high-poverty areas and is designed to help them master the basics in addition to more challenging subject matter.
Mary Jean LeTendre, director of compensatory education for the U.S. Department of Education, made the awards May 4 during the annual meeting of the International Reading Association in San Diego.
The department presents the awards in partnership with the National Association of State Title I Directors. Now in its 15th year, the Title I Recognition Program this year focused on schools that use schoolwide programs and targeted assistance projects to provide effective instruction and challenging academic content for all students.
"These schools and teachers have done an excellent job of preparing and helping children reach high academic standards," Riley said. "Successful schools such as these - that bring standards to life in classrooms, focus on the critical skills of math and reading, provide teachers the professional development they need, and offer extra time to help students learn - are models for all schools and communities."
This year's winning projects were recognized for meeting the following criteria:
For example, P.S. 177 in Brooklyn, N.Y. offers students a program focused on literacy and high standards within a nurturing, child-centered learning environment. The 900-student school is multi-ethnic and more than one-quarter of students are limited English proficient, so students are assigned a wide range of activities. Reading novels, use of the writing process, journal writing and use of reading logs help provide maximum learning opportunities. Extensive staff training is provided and experienced teachers offer professional advice and direction to newer teachers. The school partners with the local PTA and community organizations, many of which help sponsor after-school programs.
Also recognized is Williams Elementary School in Oregon's rural Three Rivers School District. In 1996, this high-poverty, K-5 school teamed parents with teachers and developed a literacy program that use a combination of approaches to language development, including early literacy activities, phonics instruction, the research-based DISTAR program and a summer school reading program. Staff commitment is high and staff training is intensive. The efforts paid off; reading and math scores on the Oregon Statewide Assessment increased over the past three years in grades 3 and 5.
As part of the selection process, state education agencies nominated successful projects, and an independent panel evaluated their effectiveness in raising student achievement levels. Test scores, grade promotions and courses completed, student self-assessment, teacher and parent ratings, as well as discipline and attendance, were reviewed to measure gains.
Earlier this year, the National Assessment of Title I found that the impact of standards- based reform is becoming evident in improved achievement amount poor and low-achieving students. The 1994 reauthorization of Title I was designed to transform the program by aligning it with the best efforts of state and local school systems to improve teaching and learning for children at risk of school failure. As the largest single federal investment in schooling for more than 30 years, Title I provides nearly $8 billion per year to improve education for some 11 million children who attend 45,000 schools with high concentrations of poverty.
Thirty-six states and Puerto Rico participated in selecting this year's winners. Each recognized school will receive a certificate of merit signed by Riley and a Distinguished School Banner.
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Note to Editors: A list of recognized schools is attached.
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Alabama Alba Elementary School Monroeville Elementary School Vincent Elementary School West End Elementary School Alaska Government Hill Elementary School Arizona Granada Primary School Arkansas Whitten Elementary School California Skycrest Elementary School Colorado Harris Bilingual Immersion Elementary School Monterey Elementary School Florida Dabney Elementary School Evergreen Elementary School Malone High School Memorial Elementary School Read-Pattillo Elementary School Georgia Beaver Ridge Elementary School Dodge County High School Jasper County Primary School Lockheed Elementary School Hawaii Pearl Harbor Kai Elementary School Idaho Fernan Elementary School Indiana Center Elementary School Iowa Johnson School of Arts South Hill Elementary School Kansas Robinson Middle School Wineteer Elementary School Kentucky Audubon Elementary School Western Elementary School Louisiana Bakerfield Elementary School D.C. Reeves Elementary School Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School Ella C. Pittman Elementary School Maryland George Washington Elementary School #22 South Penn Elementary School Massachusetts Glenwood Elementary School Harriet A. Baldwin Elementary School Lincoln Street Elementary School Washington School Michigan Hancock Elementary School Mississippi Arlington Elementary School D. T. Cox Elementary School Eiland Middle School Shady Grove Elementary School |
Missouri New York R-IV Elementary School Spickard School District Spickard Dr. Delores M. Beck, 573-751-8284 Schoolwide Project, Grades K-8 Montana Fort Benton Elementary School New Hampshire Beach Street School New Mexico Booker T. Washington Elementary School New York Albany School of the Humanities North Warren Middle School Public School 31 Public School 177 North Carolina Baskerville Elementary School Reidsville Intermediate School Zebulon Elementary School Oklahoma Whitebead Elementary School Willard Elementary School Wilson Elementary School Oregon Jefferson Elementary School St. Mary's Public Elementary School Williams Elementary School Pennsylvania General Philip Kearny School Grandview Elementary School J.W. Price Elementary School Penn Lincoln Elementary School Thomas Ford Elementary School Puerto Rico Angela Cordero Community School Antonio Gonzalez Suarez School Henry Longfellow Community School Santa Clara School South Carolina Redcliffe Elementary School Shell Point Elementary School Tennessee Briceville Elementary School Texas Adrian K- 12 School Canterbury Elementary School Loma Terrace Elementary School Scottsdale Elementary School T.W. Ogg Elementary School Utah Delta North Elementary School Summit Elementary School Sunrise Elementary School Virginia The Early Learning Center Merrimack Year Round Elementary School Washington Emerson Elementary School Longfellow Elementary School West Virginia Mason Dixon Elementary School Ranson Elementary School Sherman Elementary School |
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