May 22nd, 2013Phoenix #1 Proud to Announce Magnet Traditional School One of 16 to Receive National Honor

March 12, 2013 – We are proud to announce that Magnet Traditional School is one of only 16 schools across the country to receive the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST) Excellence Award.To compete for this award, schools had to serve predominantly low-income students; yet the schools had to meet a long list of student performance criteria, including achievement scores, high attendance rates, low suspension rates, and high graduation rates for every demographic group of students. The schools could not use any selective admission criteria to screen out less capable students. NCUST examined a variety of evidences of excellence including rigorous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, student success in high-level programs and courses, the academic proficiency of English learners and the percentages of graduates demonstrating success in college.

Finalists were drawn from a large pool of applicants that included many schools that have earned recognition as National Blue Ribbon Schools, National Title I Distinguished Schools, and winners of many other state and national awards.

“The finalists have attained a level of achievement more typically seen in schools that serve very affluent communities,” said Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., executive director of the NCUST. “They’ve demonstrated evidence of effectiveness among all of the student populations they serve, including English learners and students with disabilities. They prove that our nation’s urban schools can be wonderful centers of learning that change children’s lives,” Johnson said. “As a nation, we should be seeking out opportunities to applaud and support these schools while we provide systematic, substantive assistance to other schools seeking to attain similar results.”

All finalists received on-site visits during the months of January and February. The sixteen wining schools demonstrated the greatest evidence of rigorous content, engaging instruction, and positive relationships among students, teachers, parents, and administrators. They will receive their awards in May in Houston.

Congratulations to the parents, students, staff and Principal Adrian Walker at Magnet Traditional School. The collective work of this community is making a difference in the lives of our students.