Houston, Norfolk,and Miami-Dade Named as Finalists for Top Urban School Board
Alexandria, Va. – September 20, 2006 – The National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) announced three finalists for its third annual award for Urban School Board Excellence. Nominees were required to provide evidence of excellence in school board governance; community engagement; closing the gap-equity in education; and academic excellence.
Houston Independent School District in Texas, Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida have been selected as finalists. The winning district will be announced and the award presented to school district officials at a ceremony held in conjunction with the CUBE Annual Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. on September 30, 2006. The CUBE Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence is supported by McGraw-Hill Education.
“These school boards take urban public school governance to the highest level,” said Brian Perkins, CUBE chairman and school board president of New Haven, Conn., Schools. “The type of leadership demonstrated by these districts shapes the landscape of the urban public school by closing the achievement gap, engaging the community, and raising student achievement.”
The award for Urban School Board Excellence is presented to the school district that best demonstrates the excellence in four core areas: board governance, closing the gap, academic achievement, and community engagement. The winning district receives a $5,000 contribution to a student scholarship fund.
"Our members learn a great deal from each others’ best practices, and these districts represent the very best in urban school board governance," said NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant. "Each of these three districts has the components that make governance work, particularly in an urban setting. NSBA is proud to recognize policymakers for their role in school improvement."
"School boards play a central role in improving student performance. These three finalists represent the gold standard in that effort. So it is with great pride that we recognize the significant contributions of these boards through our partnership with CUBE,” said Dan Domenech, senior vice president, National Urban Markets, McGraw-Hill Education.
The finalists were selected by a panel of distinguished judges based on materials submitted by the school districts and independent follow-up research.
The Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) is the urban arm of the National School Boards Association. CUBE currently has 106 member districts, with an enrollment of more than eight million students. CUBE’s mission is to create opportunities for urban school board leaders to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective policy makers and advocates for excellence and equity in public education.
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association is a not-for profit federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education in the United States through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective before federal government agencies and with national organizations that affect education, and by providing vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of electronic and print products for the pre-K through 12th grade, higher education and professional markets. It is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s and Business Week. Founded in 1888, the corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries.
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