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The Broad Prize for Urban Education has awarded $1 million to the Brownsville, Texas Independent School District for its progress in Hispanic education, bridging the gap between higher-income students and non-Hispanics in the state of Texas.
Four out of 10 students coming from low-income Hispanic families in the Brownsville Independent School District are not native English speakers, yet they have seen improvements in scholastic performance in reading and math across all class levels.
The $1 million grant will be used to fund college scholarships for high school seniors who are in financial need and have shown academic improvements.
The Brownsville Independent School District was chosen from 100 of the largest U.S. districts serving substantial numbers of low-income and minority students.
Factors Determining Who Receives Scholarship Funds:
-- State tests performance
-- Graduation rates
-- College entrance exams
-- Reduction in achievement gap
-- Accountability measures in the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law
Once these measures are taken into account, a board of business, government, and public service leaders will determine which district are awarded the money.
The academic improvements across elementary, middle, and high school are direct result of hands-on staff and leaders who believe in these young minds potential for success in higher learning.
The district is not restricting its efforts for educational improvements towards students. Parents of students can visit centers at each school has centers in place to help them improve English language, computer, and other skills. The centers rely on more then 3,000 volunteers to make the push for higher learning amongst Hispanics students a reality.
The Broad Prize For Urban Education was founded in 2002, and is the "largest education award in the country given to school districts . . . it is awarded each year to honor urban school district that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among low-income and minority students."