Paige Names 172 Blue Ribbon Schools

US Education Department Press Releases

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today named 172 public and private secondary schools selected as the 2001-2002 Blue Ribbon Schools.

This marks the 19th year of the program, which honors excellence in leadership, teaching, curriculum, student achievement, and parental involvement. "In education, like every other enterprise, we must aspire to highlight and reward our successes," Paige said. "These schools strive everyday to be their very best, and exemplify what American education can look like when we work as a team to create the best teaching and learning environments for our students."

The winning schools share several characteristics, including:

A clear vision and shared sense of mission; challenging, uptodate curriculum; policies and practices to ensure a safe campus conducive to learning; evidence of family involvement; and a commitment to help all students achieve high standards.

This year, 145 public schools and 27 private schools in 35 states, and two stateside Department of Defense schools, will be recognized. The schools were nominated by state education agencies, the Department of Defense and the Council for the American Private Education. Each nominating agency has an assigned Blue Ribbon Schools program liaison who provides materials and information to its respective schools during the application process.

Selection of Blue Ribbon Schools is based on an evaluation of written materials from the nominated schools and the reports of experienced principals and administrators who conducted site visits to these schools. Reviewers make recommendations to the secretary of education for final selection.

Schools selected for recognition have each conducted a thorough selfevaluation involving administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community representatives as part of the application process. This process included assessing their strengths and weaknesses and developing strategic plans for the future development of the school.

Criteria for the next cycle of competition for the Blue Ribbon Schools Program will be announced shortly.

Attached is a list of recognized schools: