Charter Schools of the Year
The Washington-based Center for Education Reform recently named 53 schools as its National Charter Schools of the Year. The schools were evaluated on the criteria of achievement, planning and execution, satisfaction, and policies and programs. The winners are:
Arkansas: Academic Center of Excellence, Cabot; Lisa Academy, Little Rock.
Arizona: Challenge Charter School, Glendale; Triumphant Learning Center, Safford.
California: American Indian Public Charter School, Oakland; Guajome Park Academy, Vista; KIPP San Francisco, San Francisco; The Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla; Synergy Charter Academy, Los Angeles.
Colorado: Jefferson Academy Elementary, Broomfield; Liberty Common School, Ft. Collins; Ridgeview Classical Schools, Ft. Collins.
Florida: Academy at the Farm, Dade City; Downtown Academy of Technology and Arts, Ft. Lauderdale; Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary and Middle School, Pembroke Pines; Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Pembroke Pines.
Georgia: Chamblee Charter High School, Chamblee; Kennesaw Charter School, Kennesaw.
Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, Coeur d’Alene.
Illinois: Prairie Crossing Charter School, Grayslake.
Indiana: Signature School, Evansville.
Louisiana: The International School of Louisiana, New Orleans.
Massachusetts: Excel Academy Charter School, East Boston; MATCH Charter Public High School, Boston; Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, Roxbury.
Michigan: Ann Arbor Learning Community, Ann Arbor; Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Detroit.
Minnesota: Community of Peace Academy, St. Paul.
North Carolina: Gaston College Preparatory, Gaston; Kinston Charter Academy, Kinston.
New Jersey: Hoboken Charter School, Hoboken; Princeton Charter School, Princeton.
New Mexico: 21st Century Public Academy, Albuquerque; Moreno Valley High School, Angel Fire; Taos Municipal Charter School, Taos.
New York: Amber Charter School, New York City; Explore Charter School, New York City; Harlem Village Academy, New York City.
Ohio: Toledo School for the Arts, Toledo.
Oklahoma: Western Village Academy, Oklahoma City.
Pennsylvania: Bear Creek Community Charter School, Wilkes Barre; Independence Charter School, Philadelphia; The Laboratory Charter School of Communication and Languages, Bala Cynwyd; Mathematics, Science & Technology Community Charter School, Philadelphia; Renaissance Academy, Phoenixville.
Rhode Island: Paul Cuffee School, Providence.
South Carolina: Discovery School, Lancaster; Greenville Technical Charter High School, Greenville; Midland Valley Preparatory School, Graniteville.
Texas: Cornerstone Academy, Houston; The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, Fort Worth; Star Charter School, Austin.
Wisconsin: John Greenleaf Whittier School, Milwaukee.
Intel Schools of Distinction
The Intel Corporation, based in Santa Clara, Calif., recently honored six schools with its 2007 Intel Schools of Distinction Award for their innovative math and science programs. The Intel Foundation will distribute $1 million in grants and awards to the winning schools. They are Balboa Elementary, San Diego; Sewell Middle School, Bremen, Ga.; Bergen Academies, Hackensack, N.J.; Escalante School, Salt Lake City; Conyers Middle School, Conyers, Ga.; Greenhills High School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Science Award
Amy Nicholl, a teacher at Skyview Elementary School in Windsor, Colo., was awarded the Education Award in Inquiry-based Science Teaching by Delta Education. Ms. Nicholl won $1,500, a one-year membership to the National Science Teachers Association, and a trip to attend the organization’s national conference.
Psychology Teaching Award
The American Psychological Association’s Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools awarded three high school teachers the TOPSS Excellence in Teaching Award. The winners are: Michael McLane, Sterling Heights High School, Sterling Heights, Mich.; Jacquelynn Norman, San Marcos High School, San Marcos, Texas; and Susan Spencer, Arthur L. Johnson High School, Clark, N.J.
International Education
The Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Asia Society have announced the winners of the 2006 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education. The winning schools and organizations each receive $25,000. The winners are the Washington International School, Washington; Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago; the Massachusetts Initiative for International Studies, a statewide coalition; and the New York City public television channel Thirteen/WNET.
