The Maine DOE has nominated Turner Elementary School and Winthrop Grade School to be 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has annually sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds. In its 32-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this coveted award on over 7,000 of America’s schools, including nearly 50 in Maine. The Education Commissioner in each state nominates schools, which are then invited by the U.S. Secretary of Education to submit a formal application.
Both of the nominated schools have student achievement in the top 15 percent in Maine for both reading and math. The federal Education department will announce awardees in September 2014.
Last fall, the Williams-Cone School in Topsham was named Maine’s 2013 National Blue Ribbon School. The RSU 75 elementary school, which also earned an “A” in the Maine School Performance Grading System, was honored in part because it had seen double-digit increases over the last five years in the percentage of its students deemed proficient.
For more information about Maine’s program and past winners, and a link to the national website, visit www.maine.gov/doe/recognition/.