The U.S. Department of Education recently honored teachers and principals from 315 schools from across the country named as National Blue Ribbon Schools. The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are closing the achievement gap and maintaining high academic goals. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes:
n Schools ranked among each state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or, in the case of private schools, the score at the highest performance level on nationally normed tests; or
n Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that improve student performance to high levels as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
Nineteen New York state schools were among the 266 public and 49 private schools recognized:
Beacon School of Excellence, Brooklyn
Clarke Middle School, Westbury
Eagle Hill Middle School, East Manlius
Early Childhood School for Science & Technology P.S. 130 Q, Bayside
Forest Park Elementary School, Dix Hills
French Road Elementary School, Rochester
Mildred E. Strang Middle School, Yorktown Heights
Northeast School, Ithaca
Oldfield Middle School, Greenlawn
P.S. 48 William G. Wilcox School, Staten Island
P.S. 159 Queens Elementary School, Bayside
P.S. 173 Fresh Meadow School, Flushing
Pearl River Middle School, Pearl River
Pine Brook Elementary School, Rochester
Red Mill Elementary School, Rensselaer
Saint Ignatius Loyola School, New York City
Sheridan Hill Elementary School, Williamsville
Transfiguration Roman Catholic School, New York City
Willets Road School, Roslyn Heights