The School District of Philadelphia
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130
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#117-08
Two Philadelphia Public Schools Receive National No Child Left Behind Honors
Philadelphia -- Two Philadelphia schools receive honors by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings as 2008 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools.
Out of the thousands of public school districts in the nation, Philadelphia’s Russell Conwell Middle School and George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science High School were among the 320 schools nationwide selected as Blue Ribbon Schools. The award distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
"These Blue Ribbon Schools are an example of what teachers and students can achieve," Spellings said. "Now our challenge is to help other schools follow their lead by continuing to measure progress through No Child Left Behind, and by using the knowledge we've gained to replicate effective strategies and help every student improve."
“On behalf of the entire School District of Philadelphia, I would like to thank the U.S. Department of Education for honoring Conwell Middle School and Carver High School with this prestigious award,” District Superintendent Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman said. “I commend the parents, students and teachers at Conwell and Carver for working very hard over the years to achieve this honor and I look forward to additional Philadelphia public schools receiving Blue Ribbon status in the years to come.”
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. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria:
- Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; and
- 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.
Under No Child Left Behind, schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading (language arts) and mathematics. Each state sets its own academic standards and benchmark goals.
Conwell Middle School enrolls 860 students in grades five to eight and is located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Carver High School enrolls 600 students in grades nine to 12 and is located in North Philadelphia.
“The Conwell family is honored to receive this prestigious award,” Conwell Principal Edward Hoffman said. “Our students are truly precious gems.”
Hoffman said Conwell is being recognized because the school is achieving in the top 10 percent of Pennsylvania public schools on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests. Since the 2004 school year, the eighth grade graduates’ scores in the PSSA’s have risen dramatically. Hoffman said 97 percent of all Conwell graduates are scoring Advanced or Proficient in reading. Conwell’s math scores have also shown tremendous gains over the last four years, with students now graduating at the 93% percent Advanced or Proficient in Mathematics. Conwell has achieved AYP every year since 2003.
“Carver High School of Engineering and Science has been built upon cultivating a tradition of excellence,” said Carver Principal Linda Ahmed. “This accomplishment is on acknowledgement of the on-going efforts of our faculty, staff, students and their families.”
Ahmed said Carver High School’s 2008 PSSA scores for 11th grade students show that nearly 82 percent achieved at either Advanced or Proficient in math and 84 percent achieved at either Advanced or Proficient in reading. Carver High School has achieved AYP every year since 2003.
Since 2006, two other Philadelphia public schools have received the national Blue Ribbon Schools award. They are Joseph E. Hill/Sampson L. Freedman (Hill Freedman) Academy of the Humanities in 2006 and Robert Blair Pollock Elementary School in 2007.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education nominates the schools from Pennsylvania. The schools are then invited by Secretary Spellings to submit an application for possible recognition as a No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School.
The School Reform Commission is scheduled to honor the two schools with a citation at the October 15 meeting.
All Blue Ribbon schools will be honored during the No Child Left Behind- Blue Ribbon Schools Conference in Arlington, Virginia on October 20-21. Carver and Conwell will receive a plaque and flag honoring their Blue Ribbon status on October 21.