The National Association of State Title I Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2007

Contact: Rich Long, Executive Director
P.O. Box 5320, Arlington, VA 22205
202-624-8911, fax: 703-536-8519
e-mail: info@titleI.org
www.TitleI.org

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE TITLE I DIRECTORS HONORS DISTINGUISHED TITLE I SCHOOLS

The National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID) announces its annual Distinguished Title I School Recognition Program winners at The 2007 Conference, “Avenues to Excellence,” January 27 – 30 in Long Beach, CA. These highlighted schools have demonstrated significant sustained academic improvement in spite of having a 35 percent or higher poverty rate. Their profiles are shared in an online publication on the NASTID website: “Avenues to Excellence, 2007 National Title I Conference Distinguished Schools.”

The 64 awarded schools (from year 2006) representing 36 states will be honored at the General Session from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm on Saturday, January 27th at the Long Beach Convention Center. These academically outstanding schools have risen above obstacles of poverty with the help of the Title I program. They were selected for outstanding results in one of two categories: 1- Exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years or, 2- Closing the achievement gap between student groups.

Title I Distinguished Schools, against all odds, hold their students to high standards and take seriously their charge to improve children's learning. The selected schools are an example to other Title I schools of approaches, programs, and creative education techniques that work.

For instance, Amistad Academy in New Haven, CT, a public charter school serving 5th through 8th graders, receives its new class of 5th graders generally scoring at least two years below grade level. Ninety-eight percent are African American or Latino and 84 percent are impoverished. By 8th grade these same students achieve on par with students from some of Connecticut’s most affluent suburban communities, including Greenwich andWestport. Literacy is the core of the curriculum with a three-hour morning block dedicated to reading. The block incorporates decoding, literary analysis, fluency, and critical reading. Yale graduate students tutor those in need of additional instruction. Parents sign daily logs showing that each student reads independently at home for at least 20 minutes. The school day is extended: students arrive at 7:30 am and stay until 5 pm. A mandatory three-week summer program alleviates summer brain-drain. The school has been so successful that it is expanding to include K-12.

Greenway Elementary School in Bisbee, AZ has been steadily shrinking its achievement gap. Fifty percent of its students are Hispanic and 66 percent of the total student body is impoverished. Yet 91 percent of Greenway’s Hispanic students met or exceeded the state standards in reading. (Statewide,only 68 percent of Hispanic students met or exceeded the Arizona standards.) Strong alignment of Greenway Elementary School’s curriculum to standards, careful data analysis, extra support for underachieving students, programs to increase parental involvement, and collaborative time for teachers – along with targeted teaching and professional development – yields improved learning.
Title I is the largest federal-aid program in K-12 education. Since 1996, the National Association of State Title I Directors has selected examples of superior Title I school programs for recognition. These Distinguished Schools join hundreds of others honored since the recognition program began.

The Title I program has served over 150 million children in need of extra academic support in reading, writing, and math since 1965. At its core, Title I is a reading and mathematics program. But these distinguished schools go beyond that mandate. They work to improve citizenship, character,enjoyment of the arts, and community spirit. They also know the importance of making the school a hospitable hub of the community. Many students served by Title I go on to be the first in their families to graduate high school and college. Some—whose backgrounds include migrant farm work,non-English speaking homes, and extreme poverty—have become teachers, military officers, computer experts, and engineers.

The Distinguished Schools demonstrate strengths in the following areas:
opportunity for all children to meet proficient/advanced levels of performance,
strong professional development,
coordination with other programs,
curriculum and instruction to support achievement of high standards, and
partnerships among schools, parents and communities.

Each school also submits the last three years of achievement data, has State representatives visit their school for evaluation, and creates a one-page school description. Contact these schools directly for additional information. (See attached list.)

Please contact A+events (800-256-6452 or TitleI@aplusevents.com) to make reservations for the January 2007 conference.

Title I Distinguished Schools 2006

Alabama

Huxford Elementary School

Betty Warren

673 Huxford Road

Huxford, AL 36543

251-294-5475

Evergreen Elementary School

Joey Varner

609 Belleville Street

Evergreen, AL 36401

251-578-2576

Arizona

First Avenue Elementary School

Elizabeth Dorgan

914 First Avenue N.

San Manuel, AZ 85631

520-385-4341

Greenway Elementary School

John Taylor

100 Old Douglas Road

Bisbee, AZ 85603

520-432-4361

California

Manchester Gate School

Russell Painter

2305 East Dakota Ave.

Fresno, CA 93726

559-248-7220

KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy

Kelly Wright

1475 Sixth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

Colorado

Sunnyside Elementary School

Victor Figueroa

75 C.R. 218

Durango, CO 81303

970-259-5249

Shanner Elementary School

Randal Weigum

P.O. Box 608

Holly, CO 81407

719-537-6662

Connecticut

Amistad Academy

Matt Taylor

407 James St

New Haven, CT 06513

203-773-0390

Delaware

Etta J. Wilson Elementary School

Rolando Toccafondi

14 Forge Rd.

Wilmington, DE 19711

302-454-2180

McVey Elementary School

Susan Zigler

908 Janice Drive

Newark, DE 19713

302-454-2145

District of Columbia

Langdon Elementary School

Barbara Campbell

1900 Evarts St. NE

Washington, DC 20018

202-576-6048

Indiana

Fox Hill Elementary School

Randal Miller

802 Fox Hill Drive

Indianapolis, IN

317-259-5371

Leesburg Elementary School

Marv Marino

#1 Church St.

Leesburg IN 46538

574-453-4121

Kansas

Westwood Elementary School

Shelley Hoyle Kite

1600 N. Eisenhower

Junction City, KS

785-717-4150

Georgia Matthews Elementary School

Carma Harman

111 Johnson St.

Garden City, KS 67846

620-276-5255

Kentucky

Mason County Intermediate School

Matthew Stanfield

720 Clarks Run Road

Maysville, KY 41056

606-759-2000

Pineville High School

Paula Goodin

4012 Virginia St.

Pineville, KY 40977

606-337-2361

Louisiana

Forest Hill Elementary School

Nancy Rials

15 Highway 497 S.

Forest Hill, LA 71430

318-748-6844

South Thibodaux Elementary School

Diane Smith

200 Iris St.

Thibodaux, LA 70301

985-446-8471

Maine

Lura Libby School

Beth Chamberlain

13 Valley St.

Thomaston, ME 04861

207-354-6464

Maryland

George Washington Elementary School #022

Susan Burgess

800 Scott Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

410-396-1445

Graceland Park O’Donnell Heights

Elementary School 27

R. Wayne Law

6300 O’Donnell St.

Baltimore, MD 21224

410-396-9082

Michigan

Rogers Lane Elementary School

Kevin Murphy

2929 Rogers Lane

Wyoming, MI 49509

616-530-7516

Lowrey Elementary School

Samir Makki

6601 Jonathon

Dearborn, MI 48126

313-827-1800

Minnesota

Kennedy Elementary School

Greg Stoffel

2600 E. Main St.

Mankato, MN 56001

507-387-2122

Prosperity Heights Elementary School

Sharon Freeman

1305 Prosperity Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55106

651-293-8695

Missouri

Jefferson C-123 Elementary School

Jane Walter

37614 US Hwy 136

Conception Junction, MO 64434

660-944-2417

Montana

Box Elder Elementary School

Dave Nelson

Box 205

Box Elder, MT 59521

406-352-3222

Harlem High School

Terry Bolen

PO Box 339

Harlem, MT 59526

406-353-2287

Nebraska

Jefferson Elementary School

Kimberly Lidgett

4065 Vinton St.

Omaha, NE 68105

402-554-6590

Nevada

David E. Norman Elementary School

Joseph Collins

1001 E. 11th

Ely, NV 89301

775-289-4846

Roy W. Martin Middle School

Regina Adams

2800 E. Stewart Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89101

775-799-7922

New Jersey

North Star Academy Charter School of Newark

Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

10 Washington Place

Newark, NJ 07102

973-642-0101

Roberto Clemente Elementary School

Lourdes Rodriguez

434 Rosa Parks Blvd

Paterson, NJ 07501

973-321-0340

New York

Cecil H. Parker Elementary School

Patricia Clayton-Meed

461 South 6th Ave

Nt. Vernon, NY 10550

914-665-5040

PS/MS 127 Aerospace and Science Academy

Chayvonne Harper

98-01 25th Ave.

Elmhurst, NY 11369

718-446-4700

North Carolina

Eastover-Central School of Arts

Ronald Parker

5174 Dunn Rd.

Fayetteville, NC 28311

910-483-8997

A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School

Muriel Summers

2001 Lorimer Rd.

Raleigh, NC 27606

919-233-4300

North Dakota

Winship Elementary School

Gail Kalenze

1412 5th Ave. N.

Grand Forks, ND 58203

701-746-2325

Ohio

Leipsic Elementary School

Richard Bryan

232 Oak St.

Leipsic, OH 45856

419-943-2165

Genoa Elementary School

Diane Kittelberger

519 Genoa Road SW

Massillon, OH 44646

330-478-6171

Oklahoma

Washington Elementary School

Janell Trimble

1930 B. St. NE

Miami, OK 74354

918-542-3394

John Burroughs Elementary School

Katrina McDaniel

1924 N. Cincinnati Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74106

918-833-8780

Oregon

Gilbert Heights Elementary School

Kevin Fordney

12839 SE Holgate Blvd.

Portland, OR 97236

503-256-6502

Pennsylvania

Hamilton Disston Elementary School

Roberta Besden

6801 Cottage St.

Philadelphia, PA 19135

215-335-5661

John Welsh School

LaVerne Wiley

2331 N. 4th St.

Philadelphia, PA 19133

215-291-4708

Rhode Island

Old County Road School

Jill Barnhardt

200 Old County Road

Smithfield, RI 02917

401-231-6613

Vartan Gregorian Elementary School

Anthony DeAngelis

455 Wickenden St.

Providence, RI 02903

401-456-9377

South Dakota

Hitchcock-Tulare Elementary School

Scott Pudwill

234 Palm St.

Hitchcock, SD

605-266-2151

Tennessee

Smyrna Primary School

Gale Vogel

200 Walnut St.

Smyrna, TN 37167

615-904-6720

East Lincoln Elementary School

Jane Fisher

700 East Lincoln St.

Tullahoma, TN 37388

931-454-2613

Texas

DeBakey High School for Health Professions

Charlesetta Deason

3100 Shenandoah

Houston, TX 77021

713-741-2410

Fred H. Tally Elementary School

Buck Thompson

1840 Goat Creek Parkway

Kerrville, TX 78028

830-257-2222

Utah

Enoch Elementary School

Lenora Roundy

4701 Wagonwheel Drive

Enoch, UT 84720

435-586-2855

Monroe Elementary School

Launa Lee Harvey

4450 West 3100 South

West Valley City, UT 84120

801-646-4918

Virginia

Harrowgate Elementary School

Linda Wood

15501 Harrowgate Road

Chester, VA 23831

804-520-6015

Appomattox Elementary School

Annette Bennett

176 Kids’ Place

Appomattox, VA 24522

434-352-7463

Washington

Cooper Elementary School

Mike Cosgrove

3200 N. Ferrall St.

Spokane, WA 99217

509-354-2500

Shaw Middle School

Christine Lynch

4106 N. Cook St.

Spokane, WA 99207

509-354-5800

West Virginia

Hugh Dingess Elementary School

Sammy Dalton

Rt. 1 Box 607

Harts, WV 25524

304-855-3585

Mullens Elementary School

Carolyn Wilcox

2107 Caloric Road

Mullens, WV 25882

304-294-5252

Wyoming

Osmond Elementary School

Kelly Tolman

3120 State Hwy 241

Afton, WY 83110

307-885-9457

South Side Elementary School

Joe Bishop

1229 Howell Ave

Worland, WY 82401

307-347-4298