Press Releases
The College Board Recognizes America's Most Improved High Schools
2006 Inspiration Awards Honor Schools in New Mexico, Texas, and Virginia04/27/06
NEW YORK—Three outstanding high schools have been named College Board 2006 Inspiration Award winners for improving the academic environment and helping students achieve equitable access to higher education despite social, economic, and cultural challenges. Each winning school receives a $25,000 award, and six honorable mention schools each receive $1,000 to apply toward programs that encourage students to attend college. The Inspiration Awards honor those high schools that initiate unique programs and create partnerships among teachers, parents, community organizations, and local businesses to help more students pursue a college education.
Remarking on today's announcement, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, "In today's global economy, a high school education is more important than ever. Students need a rigorous academic experience in high school to provide the necessary foundation for their success in college or the workplace."
This year's College Board Inspiration Award winners are:
- Hobbs High School, Hobbs, New Mexico
- John Tyler High School, Tyler, Texas
- Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virginia
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was in attendance as College Board Senior Vice President Peter Negroni presented the first 2006 Inspiration Award and an accompanying $25,000 check today to students and faculty at Hobbs High School.
"For the second year in a row, a New Mexico high school has been selected to receive the College Board's Inspiration Award that demonstrates how our schools and communities are working together to prepare our students for higher education and the world of work," said Governor Richardson. "Through legislation passed this year, we will increase participation in Advanced Placement courses especially to Native American and Hispanic students and make AP training available to more teachers throughout the state."
Other Inspiration Award ceremonies will take place May 1 in Tyler, Texas, and May 3 in Arlington, Virginia.
"Despite a variety of complex challenges, these high schools have set remarkably high expectations for their students and have provided the support and encouragement that is needed for their ultimate success," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "These schools have principals who exemplify true leadership, teachers who educate and motivate, parents who inspire, and extraordinarily supportive communities. As a result, these students have garnered a solid foundation and spirit that they will carry through life and use to inspire others."
Hobbs High School
Hobbs High School is located in a small town in southeastern New Mexico, a town that has suffered a drastic economic downturn in the last two decades. In the early 1980s, Hobbs was a prosperous community that supported a highly educated workforce. Due to a severe decline in domestic oil and gas production, median household incomes in Hobbs declined 24 percent between 1980 and 2000. Almost overnight, the schools in Hobbs were faced with the challenge of educating a student population consisting of a greater proportion of minority, first-generation, and economically disadvantaged students.
Given the sudden economic downturn, some might argue that the odds were stacked against the community. But Hobbs High School did not let the odds get the best of them. Instead, the high school followed a counterintuitive hunch: If they raised the bar and challenged their students to perform at the level of their potential, not of their circumstances, perhaps the students would forgo the restraints associated with their situation and be successful.
Their hunch worked. Hobbs High School used Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) courses to raise the bar. They opened enrollment, so now every student who wishes to accept the challenge of AP can participate. With nearly 55 percent of all secondary school students participating in AP and other advanced courses, Hobbs now has the largest AP program in the state of New Mexico, with 22 AP courses in the 2004-05 school year. The unwavering commitment of the Hobbs High School teaching staff, counselors, and students, and the business and community leaders on advancing student achievement has been so successful that roughly 97 percent of the Hobbs senior class graduated last year, and half of those went on to college.
In a community that receives less funding per pupil than any other district in New Mexico and, compared to the national average, has twice as many people living at or below the poverty level, Hobbs has made it clear that, with determination, anything is possible. According to community leader Robert J. Reid, executive director of the J. F Maddox Foundation, the Hobbs High School initiative was a bold step that has significantly helped their community: "I have no doubt that the leadership required of the district's AP initiative was the beginning of a community-wide revitalization. The community has begun to achieve a modest level of economic diversification and people are now optimistic about their future."
John Tyler High School
John Tyler High School (JTHS) has made remarkable strides in an extremely short time period. Historically, the college readiness1 of JTHS's students was dismally low when compared with other schools across the state and the nation. Only 8 percent of the graduating class of 2004 met the standard for college readiness in reading and only 14 percent met the standard for college readiness in math in the state of Texas. In addition, 60 percent of the students at John Tyler High School receive federally subsidized lunches and nearly 92 percent are underserved minorities. The class of 2003 had a dropout rate of 12 percent, and more than 20 percent failed to complete high school within four years. Viable postsecondary options were few and far between, and the outlook of JTHS students was consistently bleak.
After a change in leadership, the new school administrators realized that while many of their students had the ability and aptitude to succeed, these students had greater circumstances to overcome and were not receiving the support they needed to help reach their potential. With statistics as they were, the school officials knew they had to take drastic measures: They established the 2004-05 College Initiative, with the goals of educating their students about viable postsecondary options and providing the adequate support needed.
With this determination, the 2004-05 College Initiative exceeded its original goals. The school established a College and Career Center that provided the administrative structure the school needed to turn itself around. From the 2002-03 to the 2004-05 school years, college acceptance rates more than doubled—from 41 percent for the class of 2003 to an extraordinary 96 percent for the class of 2005. College workshops were implemented in both English and Spanish, and college visits were conducted for interested seniors and juniors. In addition, JTHS faculty realized the importance of parental involvement and conducted college workshops specifically for parents of first-generation college students. The faculty's steadfast commitment to providing options for students to continue their education and become productive citizens after graduation has produced remarkable results.
Through an unfaltering determination to overcome adversity and find creative solutions to address their historically dire situation, John Tyler High School has become a truly inspiring school. Community leader Robert J. Peltier of Peltier Enterprises echoes that sentiment in stating, "Without [Principal] Dr. McFarland's passion, drive, and determination these students would not have this opportunity."
Wakefield High School
Based on conventional wisdom, one would think the odds are stacked against Wakefield High School (Wakefield) given the demographic makeup of the student body. About 54 percent of the students qualify for federally subsidized lunches, and nearly 82 percent are from an underserved minority group. In the 2004-05 school year, Wakefield students represented more than 60 different countries and spoke more than 40 languages. Nearly 17 percent of the student body was enrolled in the school's English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
However, it was this data and the disproportionately low numbers of minority and disadvantaged students participating in the AP Program and other advanced courses that motivated Wakefield faculty members in the spring of 2004. It was time, they decided, that their bleak participation rates in advanced courses take a turn for the better. Wakefield implemented a schoolwide program called the Wakefield High School AP Network. Faculty members have made a concerted effort to include greater numbers of students, representing the cultural and gender diversity of the school, in honors and AP courses. Since the Network's inception, numerous programs have been introduced, including the Bridge Program, which informs and instructs all freshmen in the skills and tactics necessary to succeed in AP courses; an AP Study Seminar, a credited course that teaches interdisciplinary and study skills; and the AP Summer Bridge Program, a weeklong summer program that prepares students for their upcoming AP courses and teaches study skills for success. Perhaps the most impressive new program is the Academic Cohort, a counseling and support program for minority males who participate in weekly meetings that address the demands of taking advanced and AP courses and also provide college visits.
Wakefield's determination and drive to exceed its historically discouraging circumstances have resulted in a vast turnaround. The 2004-05 school year was its best yet. Wakefield offered 28 AP courses, an increase of almost 47 percent compared to two years before. In addition, Wakefield students took 473 AP Exams, a 52 percent improvement from the 2001-02 school year. Most remarkably, Wakefield averaged more than two AP classes per graduating senior in the 2004-05 school year.
Wakefield not only sets high expectations for its students, it also provides the support and inspiration for students to take on and succeed in challenging courses. Bineyam Tafesse, a graduate of Wakefield's class of 2004 and a Gates Millenium Scholarship recipient who now attends Duke University, noted, "Wakefield High School is well known for having a diverse student body in terms of race, culture, and economic background. This, however, is not what is unique about Wakefield; rather it is the school's ability to embrace its diverse student body and help each student succeed and attend college that sets it apart from other high schools."
Awards Reflect Importance of Access to Higher Education
"These award-winning schools are a true inspiration: they are dedicated to eliminating the achievement gap that plagues our nation and to nurturing a culture of teaching and learning that makes higher education accessible to all students," said Caperton.
A distinguished panel of Inspiration Award judges selected this year's winners based on the school's success in increasing the number of students (from all school demographic groups) being prepared for college.
The 2006 Inspiration Award judges included:
- Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees
- Edwidge Danticat, writer
- Ellen Ochoa, astronaut and scientist
- Randy Siegel, publisher, Parade magazine
- Chauncey Veatch, 2002 National Teacher of the Year
- Juan Williams, senior correspondent, National Public Radio
College preparedness gains were measured based on a variety of factors, including the percentage of students taking college-preparatory core curriculum courses; the percentage of students accepted to two- or four-year colleges; and growth in student participation in rigorous classes such as AP, International Baccalaureate, or other honors programs. Beyond meeting basic eligibility requirements, the Inspiration Award-winning schools were selected for their innovative ability to inspire student success.
The following schools are recipients of the College Board Inspiration Award Honorable Mention and each school has received a $1,000 award:
- Los Altos High School, Hacienda Heights, California
- Columbus Community High School, Columbus Junction, Iowa
- Wheaton High School, Wheaton, Maryland
- Mt. Abram High School, Strong, Maine
- George W. Brackenridge High School, San Antonio, Texas
- MacArthur High School, Houston, Texas
More information about the College Board Inspiration Awards is available at www.collegeboard.com/inspirationawards.
1 The college readiness component is part of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and is used to assess a student's level of academic preparation for graduation from a Texas public high school and also the student's readiness to enroll in an institution of higher learning.
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