Broken Arrow School wins top achievement honor from U.S. Education Department

School just one of five in state to be recognized

Broken Arrow School won a national Blue Ribbon award for student achievement.

Blue Ribbon Schools

The U.S. Department of Education has honored Broken Arrow School and four other Kansas schools for student achievement and helping close the achievement gap. The four other Kansas schools:

• Oakley Elementary School in Oakley.

• Phillipsburg Elementary School in Phillipsburg.

• Robinson Elementary School in Augusta.

• Rock Creek Junior and Senior High School in Pottawatomie County.

Sixth-grade teacher Pam Williams saw her Broken Arrow School students break into cheers Tuesday afternoon when Principal Brian McCaffrey announced the school received one of the nation’s most prestigious education awards.

“I think it just speaks really highly to our whole community,” said Williams, who has taught there for 34 years. “We have a model here where everybody is a teacher and a learner.”

The elementary school learned it was one of five Kansas schools the U.S. Department of Education recognized as a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School for 2009. The award honors schools for student achievement and helping close the achievement gap.

“These schools are proving that when we raise the bar our children will rise to the challenge,” Kansas Education Commissioner Alexa Posny said. “It takes a lot of hard work by teachers and students to become a National Blue Ribbon School, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their great efforts.”

Each state nominated certain schools last year, and school leaders completed a lengthy application process.

McCaffrey called it a team effort and said the application was a documentation of the work teachers, staff, parents and students had been doing for years.

“When I sit in on a collaboration meeting, it reminds me of listening to a group of surgeons preparing for a major operation,” he said.

To be considered, schools must have at least 40 percent of their students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who dramatically improve to high levels on state tests. Schools are also honored for achieving in the top 10 percent of their state on standardized tests. Broken Arrow met both standards.

Nationally, 264 public and 50 private schools will be honored at an awards ceremony Nov. 3 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

McCaffrey and Williams said the award is cause for celebration, but it doesn’t mean they have reached the ultimate goal.

“To keep things in perspective, it’s just one stop along the way,” McCaffrey said. “We’re happy that we earned it, but it’s all about continuous improvement.”