Education Department celebrates National Blue Ribbon awardees
The U.S. Department of Education honored 315 schools with the 2011 National Blue Ribbon award. The award goes to public and private schools across the nation and is open to elementary, middle and high schools. Awardees are recognized for closing the achievement gap and for ongoing academic excellence. Of this year’s recipients, 49 are private schools and 266 are public.
“America’s long-term economic prosperity and civic engagement depends on our children receiving a world-class education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a press release. “National Blue Ribbon Schools are committed to accelerating student achievement and preparing students for success in college and careers. Their success is an example for others to follow.”
In addition to the schools receiving National Blue Ribbon distinction, the Department of Education also celebrated the accomplishments of seven principals who were honored with special distinctions. They were each given a Terrel H. Bell award for “outstanding work in fostering successful teaching and learning.” The educators given the Bell award this year were from elementary and middle schools across the nation. Here’s a list of the 2011 honorees:
- Karen Daugherty, Rose Tree Elementary School, Media, PA
- Deirdra Gardner, Piedmont Open Middle School, Charlotte, NC
- Nichole Heyen, Lincoln Magnet School, Springfield, IL
- Lauren Kinney, Sundance Elementary School, Beaumont, CA
- Traci Jackson, Shirley Hills Elementary School, Warner Robins, GA
- Karen Noble, Hillcrest Elementary School, Nederland, TX
- Jack Spatola, Beacon School of Excellence, PS 172, Brooklyn, NY
“You can’t have a great school without a great principal,” Duncan said of the award recipients. “It’s the principal who shapes the vision, sets the tone, and targets the energy of the many people who run a school. It’s the principal who inspires, cajoles, and models the excellence he or she knows the school can reach. We don’t celebrate success enough in education — and the Bell Award recognizes principals for the essential work they do every day.”
More than 6,000 schools have won the National Blue Ribbon Award in the 29 years of its existence.
