Press Releases

The College Board Awards Schools that "Inspire"

04/24/02

NEW YORK, NY -- Three outstanding high schools were recognized today for beating the odds. Each will receive a College Board Inspiration Award and a prize of $25,000 to use toward furthering their academic goals. The Inspiration Awards recognize outstanding achievement in broadening students' access to college, especially among the economically disadvantaged.

This year's College Board Inspiration Award winning schools are:

• Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Dorchester, Massachusetts - Ms. Carol Bradley Moore, Headmaster;
• Woodlake Union High School, Woodlake, California - Mr. Mark D. Babiarz, Principal; and
• Homestead Senior High School, Homestead, Florida - Ms. Adrianne Leal, Principal.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tom Payzant will join College Board President Gaston Caperton to present one of the awards today at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester. Caperton will make presentations at Woodlake Union High and Homestead Senior High in May.

"These high achieving schools have gone beyond a commitment to 'leave no child behind'- they exemplify what it means to create programs that prepare every child to move ahead," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "The accomplishments of these schools did not happen in a vacuum; they happened in a community. In each of these three schools, community involvement played a significant role in reaching a new level of student achievement."

Inspiration Award winners were selected based on their success in increasing the number of students (from all school demographic groups) being prepared for college. College preparedness gains were measured based on a variety of factors including the number and percentage of students taking college preparatory core curriculum courses; the number and percentage of students planning to attend either a two- or four-year college or university; growth in student participation in the Advanced Placement Program; and growth in student involvement in PSAT/NMSQT and SAT or ACT program assessments. Beyond meeting basic eligibility requirements, the Inspiration Award winning schools were selected for their innovative ability to inspire student success.

"The word 'inspire' is aptly applied to this year's winning schools," said Caperton. "My hope is that schools across the country will look at the Inspiration Award winning schools and think, 'if they can do it, we can too.'

The winning schools achieved their successes despite daunting challenges.

• Jeremiah E. Burke High School
  Just six years after losing its accreditation for repeated failures to reach academic goals, Burke High School in Dorchester saw 100% of its seniors admitted to a two- or four-year college. An urban school of 800 students, Burke has a student body that includes nearly 50 percent who learned English as a second language. Burke's success in college attendance reflects the success of the Boston Public Schools district-wide in sending 69 percent of all students on to college after high school-higher than the national average for college attendance of 63 percent (a figure that includes all urban and suburban districts).
• Homestead Senior High School
  Following Hurricane Andrew's destruction in 1992, which left the majority of the school's facilities-and much of the community- in ruin, Homestead Senior High School saw a near overnight change in the student demographics, including rapid growth in limited English proficiency students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Homestead, a school serving more than 3,000 students, has found innovative ways to spur students to pursue academic achievement and higher education. Homestead programs allow students to begin exploring careers in nursing, aviation and military service-experiences that can include the opportunity for dual enrollment in a nearby community college.
• Woodlake Union High School
  Woodlake is a rural school serving 735 students, more than half of whom speak English as a second language. Many of the parents of Woodlake students are fieldworkers and most have little more than a second grade education. The majority of Woodlake's seniors will be the first in their family to graduate from high school. Woodlake has succeeded in preparing 49% of its seniors for entrance into the University of California/California State University system, nearly double the county's average of 25.9%.

"The achievements made by these three schools are remarkable," said Hugh Price of the National Urban League. "They demonstrate what is possible when a community unites behind the goal of breaking down barriers to educational opportunity."

Inspiration Award winners were selected by a panel of distinguished judges that included:

• Jim Avila, national correspondent, NBC News
• Brian Cashman, general manager, New York Yankees
• Rudolph F. Crew, former chancellor of New York City Public Schools and current director of district reform initiatives, Stupski Family Foundation, San Francisco
• Michele Forman, 2001 National Teacher of the Year
• Kweisi Mfume, president, NAACP
• Hugh Price, president, National Urban League
• Liz Torres, actress and advocate for equity in education

The following schools are recipients of a College Board Inspiration Award Honorable Mention. Each school will receive a $1,000 prize.

• Booker T. Washington High School, Atlanta, GA - Dr. Shirley C. Kilgore, Principal
• John B. Alexander High School, Laredo, TX - Ms. Severita Sanchez, Principal
• Wahluke High School, Mattawa, WA - Mr. Robert Webb, Principal
• Academy High School, Kingsville, TX - Dr. Grace Everett, Principal

Information about how to apply for a College Board Inspiration Award is available on www.collegeboard.com/inspirationawards/index.html.

For more information, contact Jennifer Topiel at (212) 713-8052.