First State Times

Secretary of Education Mark Holodick commends 12 schools from across the state for their students’ growth and progress toward English language proficiency.

Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center in the Woodbridge School District is among a host of U.S. schools that have been named a 2022 National ESEA Distinguished School for the extraordinary success of their students. The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA), formerly the National Title I Association, has been selecting examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools program (formerly the National Title I Distinguished Schools program) since 1996.

The 2022 National ESEA Distinguished Schools will be honored February 1-4, 2023, at the 2023 National ESEA Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center, which will receive $11,500 as a financial award, also is among 10 Delaware schools named a Recognition School for Excellence in Serving Special Populations for the growth and progress toward English language proficiency that their multi-language learners made during the 2021-2022 school year. The students showed exceptional growth toward meeting proficiency on ACCESS tests.

The nine other Recognition schools each will receive an $8,000 award, a certificate and a banner to hang in their building.  Two schools also are being recognized as Schools of Continued Excellence and will receive a certificate and a banner. Schools of Continued Excellence are schools that have qualified as a Recognition School for the second consecutive year so are ineligible for the Recognition award this year.

“Congratulations to our multi-language learners and the families and educators whose support helped them make the gains that have earned their schools this recognition,” Holodick said. “This is a celebration of their entire school communities.”

2022 Recognition Schools

• Academia Antonia Alonso, Charter School
  • School Leader – Mercedes Alonso
• Austin Baltz Elementary School, Red Clay Consolidated School District
  • Principal – Amy O’Neill
• Claymont Elementary School, Brandywine School District
  • Principal – Tamara Grimes-Stewart
• Harry Eisenberg Elementary School, Colonial School District
  • School Leader – David Distler
• Laurel Elementary School, Laurel School District
  • Principal – Matt Brady
• Lewes (formerly known as Richard Shields) Elementary School, Cape Henlopen School District
  • Principal – Kimberly Corbridge
• Pleasantville Elementary School, Colonial School District
  • Principal – Renee Griffith
• West Seaford Elementary School, Seaford School District
  • Principal – Laura Schneider
• Kathleen Wilbur Elementary School, Colonial School District
  • Principal – Elizabeth Howell
• Woodbridge Early Childhood Center, Woodbridge School District
  • Principal – Dane Sears

2022 Schools of Continued Excellence

• Blades Elementary School, Seaford School District
  • Principal – Kirsten Jennette
• Rehoboth Elementary School, Cape Henlopen School District
  • Principal – Doris Person

More information about all National ESEA Distinguished Schools is available on the NAESPA website: www.ESEAnetwork.org

Original source can be found here.