Delaware schools rewarded for performance and progress
The state Department of Education honored 15 schools Tuesday for excellent test scores, outstanding student growth or major progress in closing the gap for at-risk kids.
Called Reward and Recognition schools, they will receive $50,000 each to use as they see fit. The goal is to spotlight school staffs who prove they are helping students make strides academically.
"We rarely as educators stop, take a breath and celebrate our hard work and success," Secretary of Education Mark Murphy told representatives from some of the winning schools Tuesday. "You have just won a very prestigious award. Stop, pause and celebrate with your children."
Principals at the recognized schools were quick to credit their teachers for the success.
"It's an unspoken goal of all of us here to do well and compete with the top-performing schools out there," said Beacon Middle School principal Dave Frederick. "We've got a great staff of dedicated teachers, and we've got kids who are willing to do what's asked of them. I'm very honored to work at a place like this, but it's not about me."
Beacon, honored for its strong test scores, hosted one of the Department's announcements of the awards, and Frederick said he was going to make sure the students were there to see their school named a winner.
"It's a big deal, and I want them to sort of grasp that they've done some great work over the years," he said.
Several principals said teachers are often loath to "show off" when they succeed, which sometimes means people get an unfairly negative perception of schools.
"If it sounds like I'm bragging on my teachers, well, quite frankly, I am," said Howard High School of Technology principal Stanley Spoor. "When it comes to our teachers and staff, I can't brag enough."
State officials say Howard has managed a remarkable turnaround: four years ago, less than half of students there scored proficient in math and reading. Last year, 82 percent were proficient in reading and 79 percent were proficient in math.
"When you see students high-fiving each other because they scored well on [the state standardized test]; when a student gets that report card back and they made the honor roll; when they earn a certification in one of our vocational programs; those are the real rewards for us," Spoor said.
Aside from good old-fashioned hard work, several principals said their schools have started to get smarter about how they use data to teach, specifically targeting what students need help with most in what subjects.
"We have students from 32 different countries who speak 22 different languages," said West Park Place Elementary's principal Ledonnis Hernandez. "It takes a lot of diligent and hard work to serve our students."
Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright
The following schools received recognition from the Department of Education on Tuesday for either high test scores or outstanding growth on those scores. Each wins a $50,000 prize.
• Beacon Middle School
• Brader Elementary School
• Clayton Elementary School
• Howard High School of Technology
• Lake Forest East Elementary School
• Lord Baltimore Elementary School
• Stokes Elementary School
• Newark Charter School
• Odyssey Charter School
• Shields Elementary School
• Showell Elementary School
• Sunnyside Elementary School
• Sussex Technical High School
• West Park Place Elementary School
• Etta J. Wilson Elementary School
The following schools were named "Schools of Continued Excellence," schools that were awarded last year and met the requirements again this year.
• East Millsboro Elementary School
• Lake Forest North Elementary School
• Long Neck Elementary School
• North Dover Elementary School
• Sussex Academy