Common Knowledge^™
The Newsletter of the Core Knowledge Foundation

Core Knowledge School Honored by U.S. Department of Education

On October 2, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings named Washington Elementary a 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School. Principal Linda Stockwell and first-grade teacher Rebecca Carlson will visit Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony November 12, where the school will receive a plaque and a flag signifying its status.

The Blue Ribbon School program is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education. It recognizes schools for high student achievement or for making dramatic gains in student achievement. Washington earned its title by scoring in the top 10 percent statewide on MCA and MCA II tests for the years 2004–07. The school is one of eight in Minnesota and 237 public schools nationwide to receive the Blue Ribbon award for 2007. “We are very proud of this achievement,” said Ms Stockwell. “It is an honor that is shared by all of our students, staff, parents, and district support programs and personnel.”

Washington is an Official Core Knowledge School^® and a public choice school in the Rochester Public District Minnesota. The school has used the Core Knowledge program since 1996.

Sign up for COMMON KNOWLEDGE, the Foundation's E-newsletter