Commissioner Announces Nominees for Blue Ribbon Schools Program

Nashville, TN- Education Commissioner Lana Seivers announced today that six schools have been nominated for the 2006 Blue Ribbon School Award, a program established under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation to reward high-performing schools. This year’s nominees are Franklin Elementary School, Halls High School, Hampton High School, Monterey High School, Brentwood Middle School, and Holloway High School. Each of these schools scored in the top 10 percent on state tests for reading and math for the past three years.“All of these nominees employ outstanding educational practices for students in Tennessee,” said Commissioner Seivers. “The Blue Ribbon School process demands rigorous documentation of the progress each school has made in closing the achievement gap for all students.”

The state Department of Education notifies nominees in November that they have met the eligibility requirements to apply for the national recognition. The program requires a third of the schools nominated serve at least 40 percent disadvantaged students. The U.S. Secretary of Education will announce 2006 awardees in September, followed by a ceremony for the schools in Washington, D.C.

Delano Elementary School, Dyersburg High School, Morristown-Hamblen High School and Chattanooga School of the Liberal Arts were named 2005 Blue Ribbon Schools and were honored with a luncheon on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Nashville.

For more information about the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, please contact Deborah Williams in the Department of Education, at 931-380-3071.