Every morning, Liberty Elementary students start their day with an enthusiastic “Good morning Skyeeehawks!” from Principal George Petersen on K-SKY News. From the tireless hours over the summer of reading research, to his creative approaches in motivating his staff, to his vulnerability in teaching lessons alongside his teachers, Principal Petersen is the consummate educator. A Read More
In New Orleans, Louisiana, Lusher Charter School serves students in grades K-12 by integrating the arts across all grade levels and disciplines. As the school’s CEO puts it, “Lusher is a school where a student can come and thrive regardless of the level of their talents. We’ll use the arts when we’re happy, when we’re Read More
Teachers at Paramount School of Excellence (now called Paramount Brookside) in Indianapolis, Indiana enrich their lessons using a variety of on-site school features, including a planetarium, farm, and beehives. These unique features help students learn from the world around them. However, the key focus for educators at this K-8 charter school is on providing high-quality Read More
High school goes to college at Lorenzo Walker Technical High School, which shares a campus and a vision for success with its partner institution, Lorenzo Walker Technical College. Students travel from all over the county to attend Lorenzo Walker, where they take academically rigorous classes while also receiving professional training in 25 career programs. After Read More
Turning around a low-performing school is no easy task – and sustaining that turnaround over the years to come can be just as challenging. In this video, teachers and school leaders from Evergreen Elementary School in Spanaway, Washington explain how the implementation of a “No Excuses” model helped them improve and sustain their success over Read More
What one practice has been most instrumental to your school’s success? 2018 NBRS awardee application responses were analyzed to find commonalities, broad themes, and potential demographic differences. The infographic captures four key drivers of National Blue Ribbon School success. Nearly two thirds (65%) of the responses named either Instruction (33%) or Student Supports (32%) while Read More
Village Oaks Elementary School Novi, Michigan Building School Culture by Leading with HEART. One of the most challenging tasks for any new principal is creating school culture, particularly when a strong culture already exists. This podcast walks you through the process Principal Alexander Ofili used at Village Oaks Elementary School in Novi, MI, to do Read More
Mount Lebanon Elementary School Pendleton, SC Learning Through Real World Application highlights how one school expanded on a STEM theme to create a teaching and learning culture matched to the way young students learn. When each of the four K-6th grade elementary schools in Anderson County School District 4 were tasked with creating a unique Read More
In order to spread knowledge of innovative and successful school practices, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program profiles a number of schools from each year’s cohort. Stories are added as they are produced. Building Culture and Enriching Learning through Art. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Lusher Charter School serves students in grades K-12 by integrating the Read More
Athens Academy (Athens, GA). Athens Academy is an educational community where the students, the school, and the parents are partners. The school’s Parent Service Organization (PSO) works with administration to enhance the school’s quality of programs and academic life. Each of the four academy divisions have representatives on the PSO Executive Board. Over 100 parents Read More