Congratulations, 2011 Blue Ribbon Schools!
On September 15, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the 2011 Blue Ribbon Schools, including ACSI member Santa Fe Christian Lower School (Solana Beach, Calif.). Among the 256 schools to receive this distinguished recognition were 49 private schools.
ACSI offers its congratulations Santa Fe Christian Lower School! When a school is selected as a No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Recognized School, it indicates to its constituents that it welcomes rigorous appraisal. In fact, the Blue Ribbon selection process is similar to a mini accreditation. Schools must provide detailed and verifiable information, and the process itself propels the school toward excellence.
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige established the No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program to honor elementary and secondary schools in the United States that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The program recognizes the elementary and secondary schools that meet either of two assessment criteria:
1. Schools whose student body is made up of at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, or that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on standardized national or state assessment.
2. Schools that are in the top 10 percent of schools in the nation (standardized national assessments) or in the state (standardized state assessments).