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From the Department of Public Instruction
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster named 163 New Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition for the 2007-08 school year. Fourteen of the schools have received the recognition five years in a row.
“New Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition are beating the odds in increasing student achievement,” Burmaster said. “Through the hard work and leadership of teachers, parents, administrators, and other staff members at these schools, we are fulfilling our New Wisconsin Promise to provide a quality education to each and every student in our state.”
To be recognized, schools must be eligible to receive federal Title I funding and be among the highest poverty schools in the state based on free and reduced-price school lunch data.
Additionally, student achievement on statewide reading and mathematics assessments must outperform the state average and also beat the average for schools with similar poverty rates. Finally, the school must have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the past two years as defined under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Schools meeting all four criteria will receive award plaques at an October 3 ceremony at the State Capitol and $1,500 for use by the school.
Ninety-eight of the 2007-08 New Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition received the honor last year; 63 received the award for three consecutive years; and 30 made the list four years in a row. Fifty-two of this year’s honorees are high schools, while another 40 are middle schools or junior high schools, 70 are elementary schools, and one serves students K-12.
“Public education is the foundation of our democracy and the cornerstone of our economic well-being,” Burmaster said, “so it’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure our young people graduate prepared for further studies and the 21st century workplace. The New Wisconsin Promise Schools of Recognition are model learning centers helping to close the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their peers, and I applaud them.”
DPI news release, including list of all 2007-08 Schools of Recognition (opens pdf file)
Posted August 21, 2007