Learn more about the award programs:

Teacher of the Year

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards

The New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards

No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Awards

No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools Program

On July 28, 2002, the Secretary announced that schools singled out for national honors will now reflect the goals of our nation's new education reforms for high standards and accountability. The No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. First, it recognizes schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to a high level on state assessments or assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade, as determined by the Chief State School Officer (CSSO). Second, it recognizes schools whose students, whether from disadvantaged or privileged backgrounds, achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests or the top 10 percent in the state on assessments referenced against national norms at a particular grade. These No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a Washington, DC ceremony and invited to present at Department conferences.

Nomination Process for Public Schools:
For public schools, the Secretary sends a letter of invitation to each CSSO, including the Department of Defense Schools (DoDEA) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), requesting that the CSSO send the Department the names of those schools in the state that meet the criteria for recognition. Each state has an assigned number of possible schools based on the number of students and the number of schools in the state.

The CSSO has the responsibility to insure that the schools meet the criteria for recognition before sending those names to the Secretary. Based on state data, the CSSO certifies that the submitted schools meet one of two criteria:

1. Significant improvement in test scores to a high level for schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds; or
2. Student achievement in the top 10 percent of the state's schools with students from any background.

Website:
www.ed.gov

Contact:
Deborah Wiswell
New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301-3860
Phone: (603) 271-3828
Fax: (603) 271-1953
E-Mail: dwiswell@ed.state.nh.us