Two High Schools Receive National Award

Northwest High and Western High Selected As High Schools That Work Pacesetter Schools

Contact: Haley Miller (336) 370-3200
Created: 7/10/2008 11:36:05 AM

Northwest High and Western High are two of only 25 schools selected nationwide as High Schools That Work (HSTW) Pacesetter Schools. The Southern Regional Education Board gives the award each year to schools for improving school practices and raising student achievement.

The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with leaders and policymakers to improve pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education. President Dave Spence presented the award to Northwest and Western at the 22nd Annual HSTW Staff Development Conference in Nashville, Tenn. on July 9.

“The award is evidence of the outstanding achievement of our students, teachers, parents and community,” said Angelo Kidd, principal at Northwest. “It is our second national award this year and third the past two years.”

Schools are selected as Pacesetter schools for implementing the HSTW design, teaching students a rigorous academic curriculum, having high student achievement and having a high graduation rate or meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

“We have worked conscientiously to implement the High Schools That Work Ten Key Practices in our school,” said Shirley M. Stipe-Zendle, assistant principal at Western. “We are proud to become one of the schools which, according to Gene Bottoms, ‘will be recommended as models to other schools interested in seeing the HSTW design in action.’ This certainly gives us something to celebrate.”

HSTW is a national, comprehensive school improvement design based on the premise that most students can master rigorous academic and career/technical studies if school leaders and teachers create a school environment that motivates all students to make the effort to succeed. More than 1,100 high schools in 31 states participate in the HSTW school improvement initiative.

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