Four Bay Area Schools Get Blue Ribbon Honor

Thursday, Sep 9, 2010 | Updated 3:45 PM PDT

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Four Bay Area schools were honored today for providing an above-average education to underprivileged students, according to California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a list of 21 California schools, four of them in the Bay Area, that have demonstrated dramatic growth in achievement among substantial numbers of financially disadvantaged students.     The Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which honored 304 elementary and secondary schools nationwide this year, represents schools that serve financially disadvantaged students numbering 48 to 100 percent of schools' student populations.
    The schools have demonstrated considerable progress in English-language arts and mathematics since 2005, according to a statement from O'Connell's office. They were nominated in 2009, but had to pass specific targets of achievement to be certified by the program this year.
    Among hundreds of schools, Lincoln Elementary in Oakland, Two Rock Elementary in Sonoma County, KIPP Heartwood Academy in San Jose and Nueva School in San Mateo county were all honored by Blue Ribbon Schools.
    "It's the efforts of our teachers and staff that make this all possible," said a statement on the Nueva School website. "This award is simply a visible acknowledgement of the important work that happens each and every day."

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