U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202
Released: September 17, 2004
Contact: Susan Aspey or Samara Yudof
(202) 401-1576
PAIGE ANNOUNCES 2004 BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that more than 250 of the nation's schools have been named No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools of 2004. The program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. Blue Ribbon awards have been given since 1982; however, the program was revamped and renamed in 2002 to conform to the new testing requirements mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Ten North Carolina schools were chosen this year. Three of them are private schools. They are:
Cary Academy of Cary; Providence Christian School of Charlotte; and, St. Timothy's School of Raleigh.Schools are selected based on one of three criteria: Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance on state tests as determined by the state school chief; schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests; and, private schools that achieve in the top 10 percent in the nation.
More information on the program along with a list of other current winners is available at:
www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html