Tryon Elementary School and Saluda Elementary School have been honored as Title I Distinguished Schools by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Federal Programs Division.
The two schools were honored at a ceremony in Greensboro for being one of the top 15 out of more than 1,500 Title I schools in North Carolina in student academic performance over a three-year period.
From that group of 15, Saluda Elementary was named one of two state finalists in the category of High Performance.
“It is an honor to be recognized as the second school out of the 115 school districts in the state for demonstrating exemplary school effectiveness and high standards. I appreciate the dedication of our parents, staff, volunteers, community members, and, of course, our students,” said Saluda Elementary principal Dr. Cari Maneen of the selection as a finalist.
Saluda Elementary earned the National Title I Distinguished School Honor for High Performance in 2016-17. A three-member team from the Department of Public Instruction visited Saluda on Oct. 17 to interview parents, students, volunteers and faculty and tour the school.
For Tryon Elementary, it marked the seventh consecutive year that the school has been recognized as a nominee for the prestigious award.
The National Title I Distinguished Schools program recognizes exemplary schools that hold students to high standards and demonstrate exemplary school effectiveness in:
- teaching and learning based on the approved state curriculum
- use of research-based instructional strategies
- opportunities provided for all students to achieve
- established partnerships with parents, families, and the community
- implementation of sustained research-based professional development
- innovation and modeling for other schools
Selected schools are recognized in one of two categories. Schools in Category I are recognized for showing a high level of sustained student achievement. Schools in Category II are recognized for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap between student groups.
