La Ballona, the most diverse elementary school in Culver City, is one of 484 exemplary California public elementary schools selected as a California Distinguished School for this year.
State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell made the announcement this week. The chosen California Distinguished Schools will be honored during an awards ceremony and dinner at the Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, on June 4.
“This is a prestigious honor that recognizes the hard work and dedication of Principal Christine Collins, her staff and all the students and parents at La Ballona,” said Myrna Rivera Coté, Superintendent of the School Dstrict. “This is the highest honor the state can bestow upon our schools, another indication that, despite budget cutbacks, our district is continuing to excel while doing more with less.”
Winners of the Distinguished School title agree to share their signature practices with other schools and serve as a mentor to other educators who want to replicate the work. An updated searchable database of these signature practices will be available later this spring by the California Dept. of Education.
The 2010 California Distinguished Schools are geographically diverse with campuses in small rural communities, suburban neighborhoods and large urban areas. Most have significant populations of students living in poverty or learning English.
“The dedicated educators I spoke to at the selected schools clearly share a school-wide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance,” Mr. O’Connell said.
The California School Recognition Program is in its 24th year.. Although participation is voluntary, the award is sought after by schools in all areas of the state. Elementary and secondary schools are recognized during alternate years.
Schools were identified for eligibility on the basis of their Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progress results, which are the state and federal accountability models, respectively. The applicants were also identified by their success in narrowing the achievement gap that exists between higher-performing and lower-performing students. All applicants underwent a stringent selection process conducted by the Dept. of Education with the help of educators from across the state. Each applicant was required to describe two signature practices that have led to an increase in student achievement and a narrowing of the achievement gap. Applicants were selected to receive a thorough site visit to validate the signature practices.
