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For Immediate Release
THE CONNECTICUT BOARD OF EDUCATION AND CBIA HONOR FOUR SCHOOLS WITH Schools will use their best practices to mentor and help improve other schools
The Connecticut State Board of Education (BOE) and the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) today announced the first Vanguard Schools of Excellence in Connecticut. The four schools recognized as Vanguard Schools are:
The Connecticut Vanguard Schools Initiative is a public/private partnership between the Connecticut Department of Education and the CBIA Education Foundation. The program identifies and recognizes schools that have demonstrated success in improving educational performance. The Vanguard Schools then share their successful strategies and best practices with other school districts to help them replicate these effective programs. Led by two national education consultants, Wayne and Annie Sweeney of Tomorrow’s Schools Today, a statewide working group met for a year at CBIA to develop criteria for the selection of Vanguard Schools. “Schools from across the state applied for the Vanguard School Award,” said Fran Rabinowitz, associate commissioner of the state Department of Education. “The selection criteria were very competitive. A ‘high performing school’ had to have at least 80 percent of their students meeting state goals in reading, math and writing for at least two years. A ‘significantly improving school’ had to show a consistent trend toward increasing the percentage of students at or above all three state goals for two consecutive years.” “As the oldest school in the city of Hartford, we are extremely excited about being named a Vanguard School,” said Dwight School Principal Stacey McCann. “Our strength is found among our teachers, parents and our diverse group of students from over 21 countries speaking over 14 different languages.” Rabinowitz said the Vanguard Schools program was developed as part of the state’s effort to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law, which calls for states to improve the academic performance of students in poorly performing schools. “Connecticut has focused its compliance strategy in part on identifying high-performing schools that succeed despite challenges, and using them as role models to help other schools achieve,” said Rabinowitz. The schools were measured on several other factors, including:
“These Vanguard Schools are excellent examples of how we can prepare our students for success in the future,” said Lauren Weisberg Kaufman, CBIA vice president of education and job training, and the executive director of the Education foundation. “They have adopted effective school-improvement strategies and will help other schools implement these successful strategies, acting as a sort of roadmap for other schools to follow.” Donna Page, principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, said she is honored that her school was chosen as one of the first Vanguard Schools in the state. “This award recognizes the commitment to education and learning present in all of the Newtown schools and especially the dedication of the staff, students and parents of Sandy Hook,” said Page. Each Vanguard School will be paired with a Connecticut school in need of improvement, to mentor it and develop strategies to share best practices. Programs will include workshops, mentoring partnerships and school visitations. “Our alternative program, which adheres to a developmental approach, differs dramatically from the conventional classroom,” said Rosemarie Rose, director, Integrated Day Charter School. “We are looking forward to detailing the keys to our success and providing specific tools and teaching techniques for other schools to use in their districts.” "We're excited to be named a Vanguard School," said Matt Taylor, director of Amistad Academy, a 6-year-old New Haven charter school. “We are hopeful that we can share our success of raising achievement and test scores of low-income minority students with other schools across the state.” Each Vanguard School receives:
Considering that her school is facing shrinking budgets over the past few years, it’s exciting to receive an additional $15,000, said McCann. “We’re not exactly sure how we’ll be spending the money just yet, but it will be going toward continuing our commitment to excellence in education.” "Educators at schools like these four Vanguard models are the true architects of school reform," said Rabinowitz. “We are hopeful that this program will help improve the quality of education for all Connecticut students." ### CBIA is the state’s largest business organization, with 10,000 member companies. Editor’s Note: The Vanguard School principals will be recognized at the Connecticut Board of Education monthly meeting on Dec. 7. A special award presentation will begin at 1 p.m. at the State Office Building, 165 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Room 307A. To arrange interviews with the principals and schools visits, please contact Nancy Andrews at CBIA at 860-944-7560. For more information contact Nancy Andrews, CBIA media relations manager, at 860-244-1957 or andrewsn@cbia.com. 350 Church
Street · Hartford, CT 06103-1126 · cbia.com/newsroom
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