Norfolk Public Schools invites everyone to join them for a community celebration on January 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Westside Elementary School in the school gym. The community celebration is in honor of Westside Elementary School’s selection as a 2019 ESEA National Distinguished School!
The school district shared the news of this prestigious honor with local media and the students of Westside Elementary School in December 2019. Now, they would like to celebrate with families, friends, and neighbors of Westside Elementary School. The short program will include student participation and sharing of information about the award by district leadership.
Representatives from Westside Elementary School will attend the national ESEA Conference in February where they will be recognized as one of the two Nebraska schools receiving this award.
Information shared in 12/05/2019 press release:
Westside Elementary School, one of the seven elementary schools of Norfolk Public Schools, is being honored as a 2019 National ESEA Distinguished School. (ESEA stands for Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA)—formerly the National Title I Association—has been selecting examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the National ESEA Distinguished Schools program (recently renamed from its predecessor, the National Title I Distinguished Schools program) since 1996. These schools demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success and strong partnerships between the school, parents, and the community. What makes National ESEA Distinguished Schools’ stories especially powerful are the documented student achievement gains that have resulted from their collaborative and targeted efforts and innovations.
Schools are selected by their State Education Agency and must qualify under one of the following categories:
Category 1: Exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years
Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years
Category 3: Excellence in serving special populations of students (e.g. homeless, migrant, English learners, etc.)
Norfolk’s Westside Elementary School is being recognized nationally as a Category 2 recipient.
For additional information on this award please visit: https://www.eseanetwork.org/ds
