Only Louisiana Public School Honored

Baton Rouge- The U.S. Department of Education has named an East Baton Rouge Parish School as a Blue Ribbon School recipient for the second year in a row.  On Wednesday, October 3, it was announced that Glasgow Middle School is among the schools chosen for this prestigious honor. 

The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

In 2006, Shenandoah Elementary School met the criteria to receive this honor. Only three schools from Louisiana were chosen this year, and Glasgow Middle is the only public school in the state to be named a Blue Ribbon School. Glasgow Middle joins four other East Baton Rouge Parish Schools to receive this honor since 1982; they include Shenandoah Elementary, Baton Rouge Magnet High, McKinley Middle, and Northeast Elementary Schools.

Glasgow Middle Principal Judy O’Dell praised the efforts of the faculty and staff. She noted their commitment to student achievement as the key to recent gains in performance. The student population at Glasgow Middle includes a mix of gifted/talented students and regular education students who live in the school’s attendance zone. 

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program requires schools to meet either of two assessment criteria. It recognizes schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance in accordance with state assessment systems; and, it rewards schools that score in the top 10 percent on state assessments.

A total of 413 schools nationwide were nominated for the Blue Ribbon Award and only 287 schools were chosen. The schools selected will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on November 12-13, 2007.