Three Arkansas schools -- one each in the Little Rock, Pulaski County Special and Fort Smith school districts -- are among 342 campuses nationally to be named 2017 Blue Ribbon Schools by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education.
The annual award program, begun in 1982, recognizes schools for academic excellence or progress in closing the achievement gaps among subgroups of students. Top education officials from each state nominate schools for the award.
The Arkansas schools are College Station Elementary School in the Pulaski County Special district; Dr. Don R. Roberts Elementary in the Little Rock School District; and John P. Woods Elementary in the Fort Smith district.
College Station, enrollment 177 -- 80 percent black, 11 percent white, 3 percent Asian and 6 percent Hispanic -- was recognized for exemplary achievement in closing the achievement gaps among student groups. Yolanda Harris was principal at the time the school was nominated. Jacquelyn Parker is the current principal.
Eighty-three percent of College Station pupils qualified for subsidized school meals because of low family income. Thirteen percent of pupils received special education services.
The school that dates to 1909 provides gifted and talented academic core classes and an orchestral program. The ratio of students to computer devices is 1 to 1.
"We focus on students working within social situations rather than alone," the school's application states. "Most important for us is to allow students to be actively involved in the process of their own learning. We often use choice boards. Choice boards are activities or assignments that give students the option of choosing what they will do to meet their requirements."
Roberts Elementary, enrollment 885 and headed by Barbara Anderson, was cited as an exemplary high-performing school.
Roberts' enrollment in the 2016-17 school year was 57 percent white, 23 percent black, 13 percent Asian, 4 percent Hispanic and 3 percent two or more races. Thirty-one percent of pupils qualified for free and reduced price school meals; 11 percent of students received special education services. Ten percent of students enrolled in the school were classified as English language learners. Twenty-seven languages besides English are spoken by the children and their families, including Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
The school's curriculum is made up of units that pull together the different academic subjects.
"All fourth-graders participate in an Ellis Island Experience, a first-hand immigration lesson," the school's application for the Blue Ribbon honor stated. Fifth-graders study the Revolutionary War from different perspectives. The school has a greenhouse for teaching science, a partnership with the Wildwood Park for the Arts that provides visiting artists to the school, and an Environmental and Spatial Technology laboratory in which drones and 3-D printers are used for projects that include the preparation of a three-dimensional yearbook for the Arkansas School for the Blind.
John P. Woods Elementary, like Roberts, is recognized for exemplary achievement. Andrea Kramer Schwartz is the principal of the school that has 557 pupils -- 67 percent of whom are white, 13 percent Hispanic, 7 percent Asian, 7 percent two or more races, 5 percent black and 1 percent American Indian or Alaska Native. Forty-one percent were eligible for subsidized school meals, and 6 percent received special education services. Eleven percent were English language learners, coming from families that speak one or more of 17 languages besides English.
"Woods Elementary is a proud, positive and persistent learning community dedicated to the mission of 'A safe place where we work, think, and learn together for success in tomorrow's world,'" the school's application for the Blue Ribbon Award stated, adding that students are offered opportunities for adventure and leadership.
Since 2015, staff members have pushed pupils to use higher-order thinking skills through questioning that requires students to justify their answers.
Grade-level curriculum at Woods is taught during whole-group mini-lessons or through direct teaching. Student data, including the previous year's standardized test results, are the basis for the student groupings.
All students have access to Chromebooks or laptops.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Flag will be presented for display to each of the schools. Representatives of the schools are invited to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6-7 for events that include an awards ceremony.
This year the Blue Ribbon Schools are from 44 states, the District of Columbia and from Department of Defense schools in Okinawa, Japan; Stuttgart, Germany; and West Point, N.Y.
Metro on 09/29/2017