Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today congratulated three Arkansas schools for their recognition as a 2009 Blue Ribbon School: Park International Magnet School in Hot Springs, Mount Pleasant Elementary School of Mount Pleasant, and Vandergriff Elementary School of Fayetteville.
“Education is the key to success, and these Arkansas schools are to be commended for helping students reach their full potential. I’m proud to see our state well represented in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. These schools serve as leaders in education for Arkansas and the nation, and I congratulate all the faculty, staff, and students who work and learn so diligently each day,” said Lincoln.
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels.
More than 300 public and private schools across the country have been designated as 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools. The program requires schools to meet either of two assessment criteria. It 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.
At the invitation of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the principal and one teacher from each school will be invited to Washington, D.C., for a November awards ceremony. Each school will receive a Blue Ribbon Schools plaque and a flag.
