Twenty schools in San Diego County were among 238 statewide recognized by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today with the 2009-10 Title 1 Academic Achievement Award.
To get the award, schools that receive federal Title 1 funds must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic standards, according to O'Connell.
Additionally, socioeconomically disadvantaged students at the schools must have doubled their achievement targets for two consecutive years.
Title 1 funds, through the federal No Child Left Behind Act, are intended to assist schools in meeting the educational needs of students living near or at the poverty level. More than 6,000 of California's 9,000 schools participate in the Title 1 program.
The schools in San Diego County that received the award were:
Silver Wing Elementary, Chula Vista Elementary School District;
Otay Elementary, Chula Vista Elementary School District;
Chula Vista Learning Community Center, Chula Vista Elementary School District;
Ira Harbison, National City Elementary School District;
Los Penasquitos Elementary, Poway Unified School District;
Kearny Digital Media and Design, San Diego Unified School District;
Kearny International Business; San Diego Unified School District;
Preuss School at UC San Diego; San Diego Unified School District;
Crown Point Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
Florence Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
Jones Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
Ocean Beach Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
Pacific Beach Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
King/Chavez Primary Academy, San Diego Unified School District;
Mason Elementary, San Diego Unified School District;
Sunset Elementary, San Ysidro Elementary School District;
Ocean View Hills, San Ysidro Elementary School District;
Emory Elementary, South Bay Union Elementary School District;
West View Elementary, South Bay Union Elementary School District; and
Teofilo Mendoza, South Bay Union Elementary School District.
"These award recipients prove that with hard work and high expectations, students can overcome challenges and achieve academic success," O'Connell said.
"By working together, administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents have raised student achievement and narrowed the achievement gap," he said. "I congratulate these schools and everyone who worked hard to make them deserving of this significant award."
