South Florida Schools Named National Blue Ribbon Winners
MIAMI (CBS4) - Five of South Florida's highest performing schools were given the title of 2011 National Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education .
Local winners announced were: Archimedean Academy; Archimedean Middle Conservatory School; Ethel Koger Beckham Elementary School; Oliver Hoover Elementary School; The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School and The Ben Lipson Hillel Community High School.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools award honors public and private K- 12 schools where students have either achieved high levels based on state assessments; or their achievement gap has narrowed in schools with at least 40 percent of their students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"We view this recognition as a challenge to continue to raise the bar when it comes to such hallmarks of academic excellence, technology-based learning and creative learning and teaching models," said Rabbi Pinchos Hecht, new head of The Samuel Scheck Hillel Community Day School and The Ben Lipson Hillel Community High School.
Before selecting National Blue Ribbon Schools, nominations are made by top education officials in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a conference and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., Nov. 14-15.
For further information on the Blue Ribbon Schools, click here.
