NCUST Names 5 Aldine ISD Campuses Among America’s Best Urban Schools

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The National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) in San Diego recently announced the 16 winners from across the country for the 2013 Excellence in Education Awards. Seven schools from Texas made the list with five of those campuses from Aldine ISD.

To date NCUST has recognized 78 elementary, middle, and high schools across the nation. Winning schools contribute to an ever-growing effort to understand how educators can create excellent urban schools for all students.

To compete for the award, schools had to serve predominately low-income students; yet the schools had to meet a long list of student performance criteria including achievement scores, high attendance rates, low suspension rates, and high graduation rates for every demographic group of students. Each racial, ethnic and income group served had to demonstrate rates of proficiency that exceeded the proficiency rates for all students in the state. The schools could not use any selective admission criteria to screen out less capable students. NCUST examined a variety of evidences of excellence including access to rigorous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, student success in high-level programs and courses (e.g., advanced placement programs), the academic proficiency of English language learners and the percentages of graduates demonstrating success in college.

Silver Award Winners

• Aldine Ninth Grade School
• MacArthur High School
• Mendel Elementary School
• Stehlik Intermediate School

Bronze Award Winners

• Aldine High School

Finalists named in December 2012 received visits in January and February 2013 from a team of educational professionals that observed and recorded educational practices first hand. While the majority of the finalist schools demonstrated great effort and accomplishment in providing quality education, the winning schools went above and beyond their peers in developing truly amazing learning environments. For a full list of the winners, visit the NCUST website.

“The finalists have attained a level of achievement more typically seen in schools that serve affluent communities,” said Joseph F. Johnson Jr., executive director of NCUST. “They’ve demonstrated evidence of effectiveness among all the student populations they serve, including English learners and students with disabilities. They prove that our nation’s urban schools can be wonderful centers of learning that change children’s lives.

“As a nation, we should be seeking out opportunities to applaud and support these schools while we provide systematic, substantive assistance to other schools seeking to attain similar results.”

The award-winning schools will gather at the NCUST National Excellence in Urban Education Symposium in Houston, which is set for May 22-24 at the Omni Hotel, to share best practices and engage in meaningful dialog regarding the most important issues facing America’s urban schools. District leaders will describe their efforts to support and sustain these high-achieving urban schools. Educators interested in attending the symposium are encouraged to register at www.ncust.org or call (619) 594-7905.

All the award-winning schools will be recognized at a special awards ceremony during the symposium on Friday, May 24. The Silver Award schools receive a check for $2,500 and are eligible to be selected as the Gold Award Winner in their category (elementary, middle, and high school). Recipients of the Gold Award in each category will be announced at the symposium and receive a total of $5,000 to support educational efforts.

Aldine ISD has had several campuses named finalists and winners in the past. In 2008, Carver High School and MacArthur High School were both named finalists with the latter being named a winner. Both Hambrick Middle School and Stephens Elementary School won the award in 2010.

NCUST is a component of the QUALCOM Institute for Innovation and Educational Success at San Diego State University. The mission is to help urban school districts and their partners transform schools into institutions where all students achieve academic proficiency, evidence of love of learning, and graduate well-prepared individuals to succeed in post-secondary education, the workplace, and their community.

Congratulations to all of the 2013 award-winning schools! NCUST describes the winners as representing the best hope for America’s future and are shining examples for all.