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Public Information - Press ReleaseRelease
Date: Immediate GGUSD Again Honored as One of Top Five Urban School Districts in Nation; $125,000 for Scholarships Presented to District by Broad Foundation U.S. Education Sec. Rod Page and Eli Broad Present Check to District Representatives There is again cause for celebration in the Garden Grove
Unified School District. During ceremonies in New York City today (Monday,
Sept. 22) GGUSD representatives accepted $125,000 for student scholarships
as a reward for the district's selection as a national finalist for the
Broad Prize for Urban Education, the annual $1-million award honoring
the most outstanding urban school systems in the nation. The GGUSD is a repeat finalist, having earned $125,000
for student scholarships in the inaugural Broad Prize last year. "We are extremely proud of the district and the teachers,
administrators, and support staff who made this prestigious national recognition
possible for the second consecutive year," said Bob Harden, President
of the Board of Education. "They all deserve the highest praise for
working as a team to make improving student achievement in the district
our highest priority." At a Rockefeller Center press conference, U.S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige and Los Angeles philanthropist Eli Broad named
the recipient and recognized the four finalists of the Broad Prize to
honor educational improvement and innovation. Both were joined by New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Long Beach Unified School District was awarded the Broad
Prize of $500,000 for student college scholarships. The other finalists
- the GGUSD,Boston Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools in
Kentucky, and Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia - each were given $125,000
for scholarships. Last year 14 graduating seniors were named Broad Prize
scholars in the GGUSD. Students attending a four-year college or university
receive $10,000, and scholarships of $2,500 are given to attend a two-year
college or technical school. The Broad Prize program identifies and honors the urban
school districts with the greatest success in improving student test scores
while at the same time closing achievement gaps separating students of
varied economic backgrounds and ethnic groups. A review board of 20 prominent education leaders from across
the country - with the help of the National Center for Educational Accountability
(NCEA) in Austin, Texas - analyzed data such as test scores, dropout rates,
and information on teacher experience. Under NCEA's guidance, a team of researchers and practitioners
conducted extensive site visits to each finalist district in June to gather
additional quantitative and qualitative data, and met with district, community,
and teachers' association representatives. A final selection jury of prominent
business, education, government, and labor leaders reviewed the information
collected from the site visits and information considered by the review
board to choose one district for the $500,000 Broad Prize. The selection jury included: Jeb Bush, governor of Florida;
Henry Cisneros, chairman and CEO of American City Vista; Phil Condit,
chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company; John Engler, former governor of
Michigan; Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's
Defense Fund; Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina; Richard Parsons,
CEO of AOL Time Warner; Hugh Price, former president and CEO of the National
Urban League; Richard Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education; Judith
Rodin, president of the University of Pennsylvania; Andrew L. Stern, president
of the Service Employees International Union, and Jack Welch, former CEO
of General Electric.
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