September 26, 2006
TJSL student to be honored in Washington, D.C.
One of our TJSL part-time students, Vera Valdivia, has achieved a very high distinction in her full-time position as the principal of Dewey Elementary School here in San Diego – it’s close to Thomas Jefferson, near Midway & Rosecrans.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today that Ms. Valdivia and her school are among 250 K-12 schools in the United States to be selected for the “2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program.” Dewey Elementary is only one of six Blue Ribbon schools selected in California and one of two in San Diego County.
“What is exciting about being selected as a National Blue Ribbon School is that the selections are made based on academic student achievement from public and private schools,” Valdivia said. “I think that should speak for PUBLIC education!”
According to the official U.S. Department of Education news release:
“The No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria:
* Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests
* Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests
Valdivia says Dewey Elementary, a Title I disadvantaged school, met both criteria. “It’s the teachers – the teachers and staff,” Valdivia said. “They deserve the award. They embrace every child. It’s a very holistic approach, and my role is to support them.”
In addition to being a TJSL student and an elementary school principal, Valdivia is also raising six children on her own.
The 2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon School principals will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.,
November 9-10, and Valdivia will be there!