3 Oct 2007
Henry W. Longfellow Career Academy and Amelia Earhart Elementary School are Two
of 23 Blue Ribbon Schools in the State of Texas
DALLAS– U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings named 287 schools in the United States as 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools. The Dallas Independent School District's Henry W. Longfellow Career Academy and Amelia Earhart Elementary School are two of the 287 schools that have received this recognition across the nation and two of the 23 in the state of Texas.
"We are very proud of Henry W. Longfellow Career Academy and Amelia Earhart Elementary School for achieving the blue ribbon recognition," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa. "Since these types of recognitions come from the hard work of students, school administrators, staff and parents, we congratulate and thank them for their commitment. Hopefully more campuses will become blue ribbon schools as the district increases student achievement and ensures that all students graduate college- and workforce- ready."
Other Dallas ISD schools that have previously received the blue ribbon schools award are George W. Carver Learning Center, Walnut Hill Elementary, Stonewall Jackson Elementary, School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award, one of the most prestigious education awards in the country, distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
The schools are selected based on one of two criteria: 1) Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; and 2) Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests.
Under No Child Left Behind, schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, in reading and language arts and mathematics. Each state—not the federal government—sets its own academic standards and benchmark goals.
The 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on November 12-13. Further information on the program and a list of current winners can be accessed at http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html.