Edwards Elementary School in Chesterfield has been named one of five South Carolina finalists for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award.
School officials were notified earlier this week of the selection for what many educators consider the most prestigious award for a school in the nation. The Blue Ribbon program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.
U.S. Secretary of Education Ron Paige said that schools chosen for the National Blue Ribbon "will be ones that are meeting our mission to ensure every child learns, and no child is left behind. Blue Ribbon recipients will be national models of excellence that others can learn from."
"We are proud and excited about Edwards Elementary's selection as a National Blue Ribbon finalist," said Superintendent Dr. H. Kenneth Dinkins. "I would like to salute the staff and administration for working very closely with me and other district staff members when we conducted our curriculum audit and developed our district-wide curriculum guides. They, as well as other teachers in the district, have used the guide and taught it well."
The National Blue Ribbon Schools program was modified last year so that the selection criteria corresponded philosophically with the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In the new system, the State Department of Education was asked to submit five nominees divided between two different sets of criteria.
Edwards Elementary and Foster Park Elementary in Union County were the two nominees that met the first USDE criteria, namely that a school must obtain high levels of student achievement with at least 40 percent of its students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. This identification is based upon two factors. The first is a school improvement level over several years in student academic performance that exceeds two-thirds of the schools in the state. The second is a dramatic improvement over several years in student achievement for all students, subgroups of students, and a sharply reduced difference in student achievement between demographic groups.
The three remaining nominees are Forestbrook Elementary in Horry County, Irmo High School in District Five of Lexington, and Mt. Pleasant Academy in Charleston County. These schools met the second USDE criteria of achieving in the top 10 percent of the state's schools. These high academically performing schools exceeded the achievement levels of other South Carolina schools with similar student populations. The differences in student achievement between demographic subgroups were also reduced.
All five nominated South Carolina schools not only met the basic criteria, but also scored higher against those criteria than other schools. In past years, any school could apply to compete in the National Blue Ribbon program. Under the program's new rules, however, state departments of education use the USDE's criteria to nominate schools that are then invited to complete applications. The National Blue Ribbon program allows both elementary and secondary schools to be recognized in the same year. This year's winners will be announced in Washington this September.
"Back in 1999, I told our school board, faculties, and communities that once we aligned our curriculum and emphasized academics as our top priority, we would have schools achieving state and national recognition," said Dinkins. "We are proud of all of our schools for recently receiving an 'average' or higher rating on the State Department of Education's school report cards, and especially Edwards Elementary's Blue Ribbon selection is just another indication of the fine job our teachers and support staff are doing. I look forward to continued success in the future."
"We are elated that our school has been nominated for this prestigious award," said Principal Nancy Eddins. "I am tremendously proud of our faculty, staff, students and parents whose tireless work and commitment to excellence has made our school one to be recognized. The state of South Carolina's academic standards are among the most rigorous in the nation. To be one of only five schools in the state to be nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Award is quite an accomplishment, and especially so for a school of our demographics. This certainly conveys the message that all students can learn."
Eddins continued, "With the introduction of standards-based instruction and the alignment of our curriculum a few years ago, we immediately began to educate our parents and challenge our students. The test scores we see today are a reflection of these efforts. I feel extremely honored to work in a school and district with a 'can-do' attitude toward learning and with an entire faculty that has the willingness to go the extra mile to provide a climate where all students are expected to do their best."
Edwards Elementary School is located in Chesterfield County and houses approximately 500 students in grades K-4. It has a staff of approximately 58 faculty members and support staff.