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The Long Beach Unified School District has many reasons to be proud of the significant improvements taking place in local schools.
America's Best Urban Schools - The Long Beach Unified School District won the 2003-04 national $500,000 Broad Prize for Urban Education, recognizing America's best urban school system for increasing student achievement. The school district is also one of the top five finalists for the 2008 prize, and in 2007 became the first former winner to return to the competition as a finalist. No other district has been a finalist every year it has been eligible. The monetary prize-public education's largest in the U.S.-went to college scholarships for local high school students. The award goes to the urban school district making the greatest overall improvement in student achievement while reducing the achievement gap among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students. Winning school districts are selected after rigorous screening and visits by leading researchers and practitioners.
Newsweek’s Best High Schools - Newsweek’s national ranking of "America’s Best High Schools" listed Wilson Classical High School, Polytechnic High School, Renaissance High School for the Arts, Millikan High School, Avalon High School and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science among the top 5 percent of U.S. high schools for 2008. Schools ranked by Newsweek have the greatest number of students taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests, compared to the number of graduating seniors. Graduates of these high schools save millions of dollars in college tuition each year, earning college credit by passing these difficult exams. This is the fifth time Poly and Wilson made the Newsweek list. CAMS has been on the list four years running, and Renaissance has earned the honor three times.
National Blue Ribbon Schools - Winners of the California Distinguished School Award may apply for a top national honor, the National Blue Ribbon School Award. Hill Classical Middle School earned the honor in 2006. The California Academy of Mathematics and Science was named in 2004. Lowell Elementary School was selected in 2001. Hughes and Rogers middle schools were named 2000 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Prisk and Twain elementary schools won the top national school designation in 1999. Cubberley School, the first Long Beach school to apply for this award, was selected as a 1997 winner of this prestigious honor.
Nation's Best Scholar-Athletes - Sports Illustrated magazine selected Poly High School as its top sports high school in the nation. In what the magazine called "the most selective ranking in all of sports," Poly topped the list of nearly 38,000 high schools in the U.S. based on all-around excellence during the past 10 years, state titles won and college athletes produced. Sports Illustrated also commended Poly's rigorous academics.
First in the Nation - The Long Beach Unified School District in 1994 became the first public school district in the nation to require school uniforms in kindergarten through eighth grade. Hundreds of other school districts nationwide have since followed this example by implementing school uniforms. Uniforms are a key part of the school district's high standards of excellence for all students - not only in dress, but also in behavior and achievement.
High Rating from Standard & Poors - An independent report by business data leader Standard and Poor’s shows that more schools in the Long Beach Unified School District are significantly closing achievement gaps than in any other California school district. Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services announced that it identified 103 California schools that have significantly narrowed reading and math achievement gaps between higher-performing and lower-performing student groups. The highly selective list includes four schools from Long Beach Unified, the most of any school district throughout the state.
Harvard Business Review Touts LBUSD - A Harvard Business Review report, "How to Manage Urban School Districts," describes successful management efforts in school systems nationwide, including in the Long Beach Unified School District. Schools here have developed a "culture of collaboration and accountability for improving student performance," the report states.
Advanced Placement Enrollment Up - Local students have more than doubled the numbers of Advanced Placement college preparatory courses taken in recent years, increasing by 65 percent since 2003. This progress is a direct result of intensive efforts at the high school level to encourage greater participation in these advanced courses. Long Beach Unified was one of the first school districts to pay for and require students to take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) in tenth grade, helping to identify more students who have the potential to attend college. AP courses can help students earn college credit, giving them a competitive edge and saving their parents thousands of dollars on college tuition.
California Distinguished Schools - Alvarado, Emerson, Gant, Henry, Lee, Lowell and Roosevelt elementary schools, along with Cubberley K-8 School, were named 2008 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. A total of 38 Long Beach Unified School District schools have now received this top state honor: Avalon, Cubberley, Hudson, Newcomb, Robinson and Tincher schools, Polytechnic and Wilson high schools, California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Hill, Hughes, Rogers and Stanford middle schools and Alvarado, Barton, Buffum, Cleveland, Edison, Emerson, Fremont, Gant, Henry, International, Keller, Kettering, Lee, Longfellow, Los Cerritos, Lowell, Madison, Muir, Naples, Prisk, Roosevelt, Signal Hill, Stevenson, Tucker and Twain elementary schools.
National Title I Achieving Schools - Seventeen Long Beach Unified School District schools were named national Title I Academic Achievement Award winners: Alvarado, Carver, Edison, Emerson, Gompers, Harte, Hill, Hoover, Hudson, Hughes, Kettering, Mann, Robinson, Roosevelt, Signal Hill, Stanford and Tucker schools. Many are repeat winners. Nine other schools won the award in previous years: Addams, Birney, Bryant, Burroughs, Fremont, MacArthur, Madison, Rogers and Tincher.
Exemplary Head Start - Long Beach Unified School District Head Start has earned highest U.S. honors by meeting or exceeding all 900 federal requirements during an independent, exhaustive, evaluation and week-long review. A national expert called Long Beach Head Start "the best I’ve ever seen."
National Board Certified Teachers - One hundred and fourteen district teachers have earned their National Board Certification. The Long Beach Unified School District pays $2,500 application fees for each teacher who completes the precandidacy program. Each nationally certified teacher receives up to a 10 percent salary increase. These incentives help to attract and keep the best teachers.
Teacher Training Earns High Marks - The Long Beach Unified School District Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program has earned a rave review by the state. The LBUSD new teacher induction program met performance standards in 83 of 85 categories, a remarkably high level of performance on the standard review conducted every five years for each BTSA program in the state.
Beating the Odds - Significant gains in student achievement by students in the Long Beach Unified School District are highlighted in a national report, Beating the Odds, released by the Washington, D.C.-based Council of the Great City Schools. Long Beach is listed among the nation’s big-city school districts that continue to improve in reading and mathematics on state-mandated tests, with evidence of demographic achievement gaps narrowing, and lower performing students making gains.
CSULB Admission Increases - The number of Long Beach Unified School District students earning admission to California State University, Long Beach has increased 46 percent over the past five years, according to recently compiled data. The significant rise in admissions to the university is attributed in part to the school district’s increased emphasis on college readiness in recent years.
Counselors 'Best in West' - Long Beach Unified School District’s counselors earned the most awards of any school district statewide in the annual SPARC Academy Awards competition. The awards are presented each year to California schools that best define and implement the state school counseling reform curriculum. Earning Best in the West honors were Avalon, Cabrillo, CAMS, Hughes, Jordan, Lakewood, Renaissance, Wilson and Millikan. Winning the SPARC Academy Award were Robinson, Newcomb, Poly and EPHS, while Reid and Stephens earned commendations.
Signal Hill's National Honor - Signal Hill Elementary School is one of six schools nationwide to receive the 2007 National School Change Award for significant improvement in student achievement. The award is given by the National Principals Leadership Institute at the Fordham University Graduate School of Education. The award is the Long Beach Unified School District’s second such honor in two years. Roosevelt Elementary School won the same award in the previous year.
Edison School's National Award - Edison Elementary School has won the 2007 National Center for Urban School Transformation’s Excellence in Education Award. Only seven schools were selected as winners nationwide. To compete for the award, schools must meet a long list of student performance criteria, including attainment of national Adequate Yearly Progress goals, high attendance, low suspension rates and high percentages of students completing rigorous courses of study, or awards for school-wide excellence in academic disciplines.
NASA Explorer School - Lakewood High School was selected as a NASA Explorer School, one of only 50 schools nationwide and the only high school in California selected. The three-year partnership brings to Lakewood scientific and engineering adventures that engage students using unique NASA resources and capabilities. The program is designed to give students the foundation and inspiration to pursue careers in science, math and technology.
Top History Teacher - Tincher Preparatory School teacher Annemarie Lander added another award to her growing list of honors when she was recently named the Daughters of the American Revolution Outstanding Teacher of American History for the State of California. The eighth grade history teacher was one of 16 teachers in Los Angeles County to earn the Teacher of the Year Award.
P.E. Teacher of the Year - Wilson Classical High School 20-year veteran teacher Ruth Mohr has earned the Outstanding High School Physical Educator of the Year Award from the California Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Only two such awards were given statewide - one each for Northern and Southern California.
Bilingual Teacher of the Year - Amanda Flores, first grade teacher at Henry Elementary School, won the California Association for Bilingual Education 2007 Two-Way Immersion Teacher of the Year Award.
Eureka and Prospector Awards - Emerson Parkside Academy Charter School is the first school of its kind to win the statewide Eureka Award for Performance Excellence. The award is the top honor given by the California Council for Excellence, recognizing leading businesses and organizations for using Baldrige continuous improvement strategies. Emerson is the first charter elementary school in the state to win the honor. Emerson had earlier won the Council's Prospector Award for use of Baldrige strategies, an honor also earned by Hill Classical Middle School and the Long Beach Unified School District's Personnel Commission.
Golden Bell Award - The Long Beach Unified School District won this top state award from the California School Boards Association in recognition of better student behavior and improved learning environments created through the Safe and Civil Schools Initiative. The school district has also won Golden Bell awards for the significant benefits to students that have resulted from the Board of Education’s courageous decision to become the first public school system in the U.S. to require school uniforms in grades K-8, its Beginning Teacher Support project, its Project PEAKS training for teachers of English language learners, and the Long Beach School for Adults' Community-Based English Tutoring.
Community Based English Tutoring - This effective way to help thousands of Spanish-speaking students and parents learn English is also providing local elementary schools with a trained corps of volunteers fluent in another language. The Community Based English Tutoring program brings Spanish-speaking parents into the schools, teaches them English, has them apply their new knowledge the same day as volunteer tutors of elementary students, and prepares them to assist their own children at home in learning English.
School Volunteers - Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) have provided millions of hours in donated direct services to LBUSD schools and students. They have grown from just a handful of volunteers in 1969 to more than 9,000 volunteers today.
Principals For A Day - The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Long Beach Education Foundation co-sponsor the successful Principal For A Day event. These business and community leaders are well informed about and supportive of what local schools are doing to help students learn.
Educational Partnerships - More than 1,150 businesses, organizations and agencies have now formed active educational partnerships with our schools, a record level of involvement. These enlightened businesses assist schools, provide guest speakers and field trips, reinforce students’ successes and recognize their achievements.
Most Inspiring Students - More than 90 of the most inspiring students in the district-one from each school-are honored each year by the Long Beach Education Foundation for their courageous actions, community and school service, dramatic improvements and other exemplary achievements.
Musical Excellence - Year after year, LBUSD students are well represented in Southern California honors orchestras. The music program at Poly High School was recognized by the Grammy Foundation as one of the top seven high school music programs in the nation.
Top Adult School - Long Beach School for Adults was honored by the California Board of Education for its "best practices." The State Board presented the school with its highest award for exceeding quality benchmarks in curriculum, instruction, leadership, planning, community involvement, student support services and student achievement.
Counselor Leadership - Twelve schools have received honors from the California Counselor Leadership Network, including top state awards for sustained excellence over multiple years. Hughes Middle School was one of only two schools in California to win a coveted national honor for counseling from the American School Counselors Association.
Urban School Excellence - Signal Hill and Tucker elementary schools won the National Center for Urban School Transformation's Excellence in Urban Education Award. Only 11 schools nationwide earned the honor this year. LBUSD was the only district in the nation with two winners.
Honor Roll Schools - The California Academy of Mathematics and Science, and Lowell, Naples and International elementary schools were among 579 Honor Roll Schools named statewide for closing achievement gaps. The honor from the California Business for Education Excellence Foundation and Just for the Kids included schools recognized by business leaders for improvement and high achievement.
Dispelling the Myth - Hill Classical Middle School was one of only five schools statewide honored with the Dispelling the Myth Award from The Education Trust-West. The awards go to some of the highest performing and most improved schools in California.
Best Student Magazine - Jordan High School’s award-winning literary-art magazine, Stylus, received three top national ratings: the All American designation from the National Scholastic Press, First Place from the American Scholastic Press, and an Excellent rating from the National Council of Teachers of English. Stylus is produced by Jordan students who design, write, illustrate and photograph the contents of the four-color publication.
