 Northwest, Brandon win major honor
Published July 6, 2006
High schools earn Gold Award
By Erin Puryear
epuryear@rankinledger.com
Northwest Rankin and Brandon high schools have received a regional award given to just 44 of 12,000 eligible schools for academic achievement.
The Gold Award of Educational Achievement is given to schools participating in the High Schools That Work initiative, a school-improvement initiative that brings state, district and school leaders and teachers together to accelerate learning and set higher standards for students.
Participating schools are given educational standards that they must meet. Students are tested on subject matter meeting those standards, and the schools posting the highest scores receive the award.
Brandon and Northwest Rankin high schools join 44 others in receiving the honor. They are two of 20 initiative sites in the state and are the only schools in the state to receive the award.
"It goes to show that our teachers and our kids are really working to do a good job, not only on state assessments but on a national assessment," Northwest Rankin High School principal Jean Massey said.
The initiative is part of the Southern Regional Educational Board, comprised of governors from 16 states, including Mississippi.
"(HSTW) revolves around 10 key practices that are data-driven, research-based and are proven to result in higher academic achievement for students," HSTW state coordinator Bobbie Gilkey said.
More than 1,000 high schools and 225 middle schools in 32 states participate in the High Schools That Work initiative. The award will be presented at the group's annual meeting July 12 in Orlando.
Rankin County School District superintendent Dr. Lynn Weathersby said in a written statement that it was an honor for the two schools to be part of the HSTW program, noting that participants in the program "are among the best high schools in the South."
"It is an even greater honor that both schools were recognized from such a distinguished group," Weathersby said.
The awards are based on assessment results from the participating schools. Gilkey said that 60 students are randomly selected to be tested in reading, math and science.
Students must meet all three performance goals - scoring on a scale from 0 to 500 at least a 279 in reading, 297 in math and 299 in science - for their school to receive the award.
HSTW's 10 key practices, which include motivating students to meet high expectations and requiring students to complete an upgraded academic curriculum, are adopted by each participating school district.
"This is for the reform of the whole school," Gilkey said. "It's going into the classroom and thinking outside of the box, teaching differently."
One improvement made to Northwest Rankin High School through the HSTW initiative was the implementation of senior projects.
"We started it about nine years ago when we looked at the different aspects of High Schools That Work," Massey said. "What it had kids do was the ultimate goal of what we wanted our kids to accomplish."
Gilkey said that Brandon and Northwest Rankin high schools were the first schools in the Rankin County School District to participate in the initiative. She said that beginning this fall, the district's other high schools will also participate.
Brandon High principal Dr. George Gilreath said the fact that the only schools honored in the state were in the Rankin County School District speaks volumes for the district's academic standards.
"It says a lot not only for our high school but as well as for the district as a whole," he said.
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