A Four-Time Finalist, Texas District Earns $1 Million Broad Prize

By Dakarai I. Aarons and Catherine Gewertz

Washington

The Aldine Independent School District in Texas won the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education last week for its progress in educating an overwhelmingly poor student population.

The prize was awarded Sept. 16 by the Los Angeles-based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which bestows the award annually to a city school district that has made notable strides in improving achievement, especially in closing gaps between students of different racial and ethnic groups.

Before announcing the winner in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praised the leaders of all five finalist districts as “true American heroes” for producing high achievement despite lean economic times and...