Progress Measured, Principals Honored
Posted on: Monday, 12 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
To: EDUCATION EDITORS
Contact: Mike Cohen of Ackerman PR, +1-865-584-0550, mcohen@ackermannpr.com, for The Education Consumers Foundation
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Where there are great students, you are likely to find great teachers; where there are both, you will find great principals. It is in this spirit, the Education Consumers Foundation recognizes 18 principals from across the state of Tennessee. These leaders are considered "the best of the best" when it comes to advancing their students academically, as measured by Tennessee's Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS). The foundation will present these awards during a ceremony held in the State Capitol.
"Educating our children is the most important thing we do," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "The principals and teachers of these schools are doing an excellent job in helping their students learn, and in raising standards and expectations. Their record of performance speaks to their hard work and dedication and I congratulate them on this recognition."
Superior school-wide performance reflects superior teaching, teamwork, and leadership. Tennessee's Value-Added Assessment System measures achievement gain in a way that permits schools to be compared regardless of the makeup of the student body. Schools whose students make the greatest annual gains in achievement earn the highest value-added scores.
"We are very pleased to have three repeat winners from last year, and our first ever charter school," said ECF President Dr. J. E. Stone, "All of the principals embody the qualities we hope will become the standard for all Tennessee schools."
The charter school winner is Memphis Academy of Health Sciences.
Tennessee's Acting Education Commissioner, Dr. Tim Webb will represent Governor Bredesen and participate in the presentations this year. "It's a distinct pleasure to honor the educators and schools that are doing such an excellent job of advancing the knowledge and skills of their students," said Dr. Webb. "Tennessee is the only state to have an assessment system that permits educators to gain a truly accurate picture of how their efforts are impacting students."
In all, the 18 winners were selected from Tennessee's 1300+ public elementary and middle schools. Based on three-year value- added gains in Reading/Language Arts and Math, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards are given in two categories, Elementary and Middle schools, which can include schools with grades k through 8 within each of Tennessee's three regions, East, Middle, and West.
Because the awards recognize high quality leadership, only schools where the principal has served for at least four years were considered.
"The leadership shown by the principals at these schools is remarkable and it illustrates what can be accomplished regardless of the wealth or poverty of the student body. With TVAAS, people are able to see exactly what each school contributes to the success of its students, not just the test score averages that are so heavily influenced by demographic and socioeconomic differences," said Stone. "These are the schools that do the best job of helping students 'be all they can be,' regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, their advantages and disadvantages."
Additional information about the winners, including school performance charts, is available at www.education-consumers.org. Also posted there are "Recipes for Success" from each of the 18 principals and thoughts on what they have done as leaders to help their schools achieve.
The winning principals each receive a certificate, a banner and a cash award: $3,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2nd place, and $1,000 for 3rd place.
About Us: The Education Consumers Foundation is a nonprofit consumer organization. It gathers and disseminates information about education policy and practice on behalf of parents, taxpayers, and their elected representatives. Please visit us at www.education- consumers.org
SOURCE The Education Consumers Foundation
(c) 2008 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: U.S. Newswire
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