The Iowa Department of Education today announced that five Iowa public schools and one accredited nonpublic school have been identified by the U. S. Department of Education as 2009 No Child Left Behind- Blue Ribbon Schools.
The Iowa schools are:
"Iowa schools are working hard to help all students achieve and provide the supports needed for students to succeed," said Iowa Department of Education Director Judy Jeffrey. "As we celebrate the success of these schools, Iowa teachers and administrators across the state know there is still much to do and are working with our students every day to continue the effort."
The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels. 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.
The public schools were nominated by the Iowa Department of Education based on 2007-2008 achievement data.
A total of 413 schools across the country were named 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools. A complete list of 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools is available at http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html.