Great News From Bridgeport Public Schools

Today Multicultural Magnet School was announced as the only 2007 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-Blue Ribbon School in Connecticut.  The Blue Ribbon award was presented by Michael Sentance, Regional Representative for the U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, at a celebration held at Multicultural Magnet School. 

 

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, “The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award, one of the most prestigious education awards in the country, distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.”  This year 287 schools throughout the country received this recognition.  Multicultural Magnet School is one of three award recipients in New England.

 

 “This achievement doesn’t happen by chance,” said Dr. John J. Ramos, Superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools.  “It happens because we work hard, and hard work pays off. This award serves as a testimony to what we can achieve in Bridgeport, and we are honored to be recognized for our great accomplishments.”   Multicultural Magnet School Principal Marina Pérez Taverner agrees. “This is a great day for the entire Multicultural Magnet School and Bridgeport community, past and present,” she said.  “Our students, staff, and parents work hard to achieve academic excellence while fostering a culture of caring and respect for diversity.” Principal Taverner will attend the NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 12-13.  Recipient schools will be honored with a plaque and a flag at the ceremony, signifying their NCLB-Blue Ribbon School status. 

 

Representative Sentence explained the significance of this award and what it means to be a NCLB-Blue Ribbon School.  “Multicultural Magnet School is receiving this award, not because it is just a good school, but because it is one of the best schools in the United States of America,” Sentance said.

 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the purpose of the NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools program is to “honor public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.”  The program requires schools to meet either of two assessment criteria. The U.S. Department of Education states that the program “recognizes schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance in accordance with state assessment systems; and it rewards schools that score in the top 10 percent on state assessments. Of the schools submitted by each state, at least one-third must meet the first criterion of having 40 percent of the students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program allows both elementary and secondary schools to be recognized in the same year.”

 

For further information about the No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools program and a list of 2007 winners, please visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html.