Romney Honors 2005 Commonwealth Compass Schools

ROMNEY HONORS 2005 COMMONWEALTH COMPASS SCHOOLS

Twelve schools that have made tremendous academic progress over the past year were named the state's 2005 Commonwealth Compass Schools and honored by Governor Mitt Romney at a State House ceremony on Tuesday.

"I applaud the students, teachers and staff of these excellent schools for the hard work and creativity they have demonstrated as we continue making progress toward higher achievement for all students in Massachusetts," Romney said.

The Compass Schools program was developed as a way for the state to recognize and celebrate individual school improvement, and to encourage the sharing of good ideas and effective practices among educators. Each school was given an opportunity to showcase their best practices at an exhibition prior to the event.

"The educators in these schools have learned what works and what doesn't in public education, and their success stories will be valuable to other educators facing similar issues in their communities," said Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. "Their accomplishments prove that improvement is not only possible, but it's happening in all corners of our state."

Nearly 200 schools were invited to apply this year, based on exceptional improvement on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam. Administrators were asked to describe successful improvement initiatives they have implemented over the past four years and to demonstrate how they have led to positive results.

Each Compass School will receive $10,000 to prepare materials on their improvement initiatives to share with other educators. Nearly 200 schools were invited to apply this year, and 80 submitted applications.

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