Lt. Governor Announces Academic Achievement Award Winners
For Release: Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Contact: Emily Cunningham 302-416-2249
Wilmington, Del., (Tuesday, August 30, 2011) - Today, Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn announced the 2011-2012 winners of the state's Academic Achievement Awards program. These awards, created by legislation spearheaded by the Lt. Governor and passed by the DE General Assembly in 2009, give five public schools each year $150,000 for significantly closing the achievement gap and/or exceeding their adequate yearly progress for two or more consecutive years.
Lt. Governor Denn was joined by Department of Education Secretary Lillian Lowery, the State Board of Education, superintendents, students, parents, teachers, and the principals of the winning schools. The winning schools have a large amount of discretion in deciding how to spend the money.
The 2011-2012 winners are (principals noted):
- Delcastle Technical HS - NCCVT District (Dr. Joseph Jones)
- Elbert-Palmer Elementary - Christina District (Ms. Jo Ann Berkley)
- McCullough Middle School - Colonial District (Mrs. Betsy Fleetwood)
- Millsboro Middle School - Indian River District (Mrs. LouAnn Hudson)
- Thomas Edison Charter School (Mr. Salome Thomas-EL)
These schools receive $150,000 that parents, administrators, and teachers will decide how to spend. Delaware was the first state in America to take advantage of a clause in the federal Title 1 law to set aside 5% of new Title 1 money to make special awards for excellence, meaning only Title 1 schools are eligible. Awards have to be made for performance in one of two categories: either exceeding AYP for two consecutive years, or showing success in closing the achievement gap. In addition, four of the five schools must be in the top 25% of the state with respect to their population of children in poverty. The schools were chosen by a committee of teachers, parents, and administrators.
"I love this award because it is a real, tangible way that we can recognize excellence and hard work by some of our schools, and, in particular, those schools that are doing a great job with kids from economic backgrounds that can make success difficult to achieve," said the Lt. Governor. "In addition, all five schools saw the achievement gap close for students with disabilities, meaning they did not leave students with disabilities behind when they were raising the bar for all their students. How good a job we do for our students with disabilities is a real concern for me, and I want to thank each of this year's five winners for the extraordinary commitment you have demonstrated for these students."
In addition to announcing the 2011-2012 winners, the Lt. Governor lauded the work of last year's winners as well: Brookside Elementary, Pulaski Elementary, Kuumba Charter School, Long Neck Elementary, and Woodbridge Elementary.
** Photos and additional information about the schools available upon request.**
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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education
for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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