April 16, 2003
O'Connell Announces California's 2003 Distinguished Schools
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that 132 California public middle schools and high schools have been selected as 2003 California Distinguished Schools. For a list of the Distinguished Schools, please visit Distinguished School Awards - California School Recognition Program. Four high schools also will receive a special award for their exemplary career technical education programs. For a list of the exemplary programs, please see the attachment.
"I congratulate these remarkable schools that have empowered their teachers and students to challenge the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary," O'Connell said. "These schools have earned high marks in providing a strong, motivating, and dynamic platform that allows all students to contribute and prosper."
O'Connell also applauded California's 35 elementary schools that had been nominated in January for national recognition as 2003 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) — Blue Ribbon Schools. All 35 nominees will be honored along with the 2003 California Distinguished Schools. The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) will announce the national winners on September 8, 2003.
The Exemplary Career Technical Education School awards are a one-time "special emphasis" honor given to schools that rise to the challenge of providing career technical education programs to their students based upon local and regional needs. These recognized high schools are providing a firm foundation of such career programs and services in which all students can participate.
Initiated in 1985, the California Distinguished Schools Program honors elementary and secondary schools in alternate years. Representatives from the California Distinguished Schools, NCLB -- Blue Ribbon School Nominees, and recipients of the career technical education awards will be recognized on May 16 in an awards ceremony and dinner at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. The Disneyland Resort is the major corporate supporter of the event.
The Distinguished Schools underwent a rigorous selection process conducted by the California Department of Education (CDE) in partnership with the California County Superintendents of Schools Educational Services Association (CCSESA), and with the help of many local educators from across the state.
Of the 2,228 middle and high schools in the state, fewer than 400 were eligible to apply for the honor based upon their Academic Performance Index (API) results. Applications were evaluated by teams of local educators under the direction of the CDE, and those schools judged to be exemplary were visited by an outside review team to validate the application information. Each recipient of the career technical education award submitted an optional application that was judged by a team of career technical education experts, and was visited by review team to validate the information. NCLB -- Blue Ribbon School Nominees are former Distinguished Schools that also have met the additional selection criteria established by the USDE for the national award.
The awards ceremony is funded by generous contributions from corporate, foundation, and association donations, as well as the attending schools' registration fees. The following is a list of donors according to the level of their contribution.
In addition to The Disneyland Resort, major benefactors ($7,500 each) are: Belkin Corp., and the Educational Testing Service. Additional benefactors ($5,000 each) include: Bank of America Foundation, The Boeing Co., SBC, and Wells Fargo.
Corporate guarantors ($2,500 each) are: The California Lottery, the California School Employees Association, the California Teachers Association, CTB/McGraw-Hill, GTECH Corp., Harcourt Educational Measurement, the Hewlett-Packard Co., The Walton Family Foundation, Inc., and WestEd.
Sponsors ($1,000 each) include: Apple Computer, the Association of California School Administrators, the California Association of School Business Officials, the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, the California School Boards Association, the California State PTA, ChevronTexaco, Great Water, IBM Corp., Ingram Micro, Inc.; The J. Paul Getty Trust; Lightspan, Inc.; Lockheed Martin; Lucasfilm Ltd.; New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.; Plato Learning, Inc.; Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.
Special mention goes to the Anaheim/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
A list of this year's Distinguished Schools and those schools receiving the Career Technical Education award is attached. For more information on these schools, please visit the California Department of Education's Web site at California School Recognition Program. A list of the state's 35 NCLB — Blue Ribbon School Nominees, selected in January, also is attached.
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Attachment
2003 Exemplary Career Technical Education Schools
County |
District |
School |
|---|---|---|
Orange |
Saddleback Valley Unified |
Trabuco Hills High |
Riverside |
Corona-Norco Unified |
Norco High |
San Diego |
Coronado Unified |
Coronado High |
Santa Clara |
San Jose Unified |
Leland High |
U.S. Department of Education No Child Left Behind –
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
2003 Blue Ribbon Nominee Schools
County |
District |
School |
|---|---|---|
Alameda |
Fremont Unified |
Forest Park Elementary |
Alameda |
Hayward Unified |
Eldridge Elementary |
Alameda |
Pleasanton Unified |
Alisal Elementary |
Alameda |
Pleasanton Unified |
Walnut Grove Elementary |
Contra Costa |
San Ramon Valley Unified |
Neil Armstrong Elementary |
Contra Costa |
San Ramon Valley Unified |
Twin Creeks Elementary |
Humboldt |
Arcata Elementary |
Sunset School of the Arts |
Humboldt |
McKinleyville Union Elementary |
Dow's Prairie Elementary |
Los Angeles |
Alhambra City Elementary |
Martha Baldwin Elementary |
Los Angeles |
Glendale Unified |
Richardson D. White Elementary |
Los Angeles |
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified |
Montemalaga Elementary |
Los Angeles |
Sulphur Springs Union Elementary |
Mint Canyon Community Elementary |
Los Angeles |
West Covina Unified |
California Elementary |
Los Angeles |
West Covina Unified |
Merced Elementary |
Orange |
Capistrano Unified |
Bathgate Elementary |
Orange |
Los Alamitos Unified |
Rossmoor Elementary |
Orange |
Ocean View Elementary |
Circle View Elementary |
Orange |
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified |
Bryant Ranch Elementary |
Orange |
Saddleback Valley Unified |
Foothill Ranch Elementary |
Riverside |
Riverside Unified |
Louisa May Alcott Elementary |
Sacramento |
Sacramento City Unified |
Camellia Basic Elementary |
Sacramento |
Sacramento City Unified |
O. W. Erlewine Elementary |
San Bernardino |
Redlands Unified |
Bryn Mawr Elementary |
San Bernardino |
Victor Elementary |
Brentwood Elementary |
San Diego |
Chula Vista Elementary |
Parkview Elementary |
San Diego |
San Marcos Unified |
Knob Hill Elementary |
San Luis Obispo |
Lucia Mar Unified |
Ocean View Elementary |
San Luis Obispo |
San Luis Coastal Unified |
Monarch Grove Elementary |
San Mateo |
Las Lomitas Elementary |
Las Lomitas Elementary |
Santa Clara |
Moreland Elementary |
Moreland Discovery Elementary |
Santa Clara |
Sunnyvale Elementary |
Cherry Chase Elementary |
Stanislaus |
Ceres Unified |
Virginia M. Parks Elementary |
Ventura |
Oak Park Unified |
Brookside Elementary |
Ventura |
Ventura Unified |
Poinsettia Elementary |
Yolo |
Washington Unified |
Westmore Oaks Elementary |
