Twenty-six schools throughout Texas have been nominated as designees for the Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Award, including two DISD Schools. Nationwide, 421 schools have been nominated for the award.
The School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering, both at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, will complete a rigorous process to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon Award winner, the highest honor an American school can achieve.
“It’s an honor to be nominated among the twenty-six high-performing schools in Texas,” said Principal Arnoldo Zuñiga of the School for the Talented and Gifted. “It would not be possible without the help and the hard work of the staff, the students, and the community. They are the ones who drive the work here, and they are the ones who make it happen.”
Andrew Palacios, Principal of the School of Science and Engineering, said, “We are continuously researching the best way to enrich our student learning experience. We are honored to be nominated as a potential National Blue Ribbon School. The team at the School of Science and Engineering Magnet is a group of people who care and work hard for our students. Our faculty, staff, parents, and community work hard to create experiences where our students win the most.”
Other nominated schools in the metroplex area include Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute in the Grand Prairie ISD and Terrell Elementary in the Denison ISD.
To be considered for a National Blue Ribbon Award, public schools must first be nominated by the Chief State School Officer in their state and meet their state’s annual measurable performance targets.
The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is the governing body that nominates non-public schools. CAPE can nominate up to fifty non-public schools across the nation.
Award categories include:
Exemplary High-Performing – given to kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools that have their state’s highest graduation rates and the top fifteen percent of students who excel in English and math according to state assessments.
Exemplary Achievement-Gap Closing – given to kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools in the top fifteen percent that have made the most advancements in closing achievement gaps in English and math over the past three to five years as determined by state assessments.
According to the Texas Education Agency, “The nominated schools must now complete a rigorous application process conducted by the USDE (United States Department of Education). National award winners will be announced in September of 2022. Schools that receive the designation will be recognized at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.”
