Broad Prize awards Aldine $125,000 for scholarships

WASHINGTON – Aldine Independent School District was recognized recently as one of the most outstanding urban school districts in the country and will receive $125,000 in scholarships as a finalist for the 2005 Broad Prize for Urban Education, bringing the district’s two-year winnings to $250,000.


Founder Eli Broad was joined by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings at the Library of Congress in announcing that Norfolk Public Schools was the winner of The Broad Prize, collecting the top award of $500,000 in scholarships. The $1 million Broad Prize is the largest education prize in the country awarded to the most outstanding urban school districts.
The Broad (pronounced “brode”) Prize is an annual award that honors the country’s urban school districts that are making the great improvements in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students. The money goes directly to graduating high school seniors for college scholarships.
In addition to Aldine, the other three finalist districts — Boston Public Schools, New York City Department of Education, and San Francisco Unified School District – also will each receive $125,000. This was the second year Aldine was a finalist for The Broad Prize.
“Aldine Independent School District is a truly amazing district,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation. “Our researchers, Review Board and Selection Jury were impressed with the commitment by the district and community to educate and prepare every child for college or work. And the district’s academic results reflect that commitment.”
For more information on Aldine Independent School District and the other Broad Prize finalists, go to [insert link].
The Broad Prize was started in 2002. The inaugural winner was Houston Independent School District, followed by Long Beach Unified School District in 2003 and Garden Grove Unified School District last year.
More than 80 urban school districts nationwide were eligible for The Broad Prize this year. The five finalists were selected based on a rigorous review of data compiled and analyzed by the National Center for Educational Accountability. A board of 17 prominent education 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 presented to a selection jury, comprised of two former U.S. secretaries of education and other leading figures from business and industry, education and public service, to choose the winning district.
The Selection Jury for the 2005 Broad Prize was Jeb Bush, governor of Florida; Henry G. Cisneros, chairman and CEO of American CityVista; John M. Engler, former governor of Michigan; James B. Hunt, Jr., former governor of North Carolina; Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education; Hugh B. Price, former president and CEO of the National Urban League; Richard W. Riley, former U.S. secretary of education; and Andrew L. Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union.
The Broad Foundation is a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropy established in 1999 by Eli and Edythe Broad. The Foundation’s mission is to dramatically improve K-12 urban public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition. The Broad Foundation’s Internet address is www.broadfoundation.org.