ABSTRACT
A variety of award programs across the country have been set up to recognize schools with a commitment to excellence. Different criteria are used to judge school quality, but the most comprehensive of these programs is the US Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program (www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html). Initiated in 1982, the Blue Ribbon Schools program identifies public and private elementary, middle, and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels on state tests or who have made significant gains in student achievement over a five-year period. There is also an emphasis on recognizing schools serving disadvantaged and minority students. According to the Department of Education, just 6,000 schools out of a possible 138,000 schools (4.3 percent) have received this award over the past twenty-eight years. One of the key criteria in the selection process is that Blue Ribbon school leaders articulate a vision of excellence for their school. Public schools are nominated by the Chief State School Officers (CCSOs) and by officials at the Department of Defense Education Academy (DoDEA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). The purpose of the program is to recognize those schools whose students have thrived and excelled, sometimes against the odds.
