Boston Public Schools earns 125,000 in scholarship money for students as a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Boston Public Schools today received $125,000 in scholarship money for graduating seniors for being selected as a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education. This is the fourth year that Boston was selected as a finalist bringing the total amount of scholarship money the district has earned in those years to $500,000 - equal to the top prize awarded each year. Norfolk Public Schools was chosen for the top award this year.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger, Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant and a number of BPS staff were on hand for the announcement this morning in Washington, D.C.

"It is an honor to be a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education," Superintendent Payzant said. "Boston's selection is a testament to the hard work taking place in schools every day. Being recognized by the Broad Foundation as one of the top urban school districts in the country is a tribute to that work and our staff and students and their families should be proud. Because of our distinction as a finalist for all four years to the Broad Prize, 42 students have received scholarship money and even though we didn't win, it's still a great story to help those students pay for college."

This is the third major national honor for the Boston Public Schools in the last 12 months. Last year, the School Committee was selected as the recipient of the inaugural Award for Urban School Board Excellence from the National School Boards Association/Council of Urban Boards of Education and Superintendent Payzant received the Richard R. Green Award in Urban Excellence for his leadership as a superintendent.

Started in 2002, the Broad Prize is an annual award that honors the country's urban school districts that are making the greatest improvements in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students. The prize is the largest education award in the country given to a single school district. The total prize money each year is $1 million ($500,000 for the district selected for the top honor and $125,000 for each of the four finalists).

More than 80 urban school districts nationwide were eligible for The Broad Prize this year. Boston and the four other finalist districts were selected based on a rigorous review of data compiled and analyzed by the National Center for Educational Accountability. A board of 17 prominent educational leaders then reviewed the data and selected the five finalist districts.

Teams of educational researchers and practitioners then conducted site visits at each of the finalist school districts to gather statistical and qualitative information, including interviews with district administrators, focus groups with teachers and principals, and classroom observations.

The information was then presented to a selection jury, comprised of 11 prominent individuals from business and industry, education and public service, who selected the winning school district.

The previous winners are Garden Grove Unified School District (2004), Long Beach Unified School District (2003) and Houston Independent School District (2002).

For more information on the Broad Foundation visit their website at www.broadfoundation.org.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant, Broad Foundation President Eli Broad, School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger