Lakeview Elementary School was recently named as a School of Promise by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).
Principal Don Schenz said the students and the staff at Lakeview are some of the most deserving people ever.
“These Schools of Promise recognize the challenges students in poverty face and have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to helping their students succeed,” said State Superintendent Deborah S, Deliske. “Courageous leadership, caring teachers and a positive school environment have contributed to the success of these schools and their students.”
Schenz commended his predecessor, Paula Prentice.
“She was out for about half of the year due to surgery and I was able to fill in for her for half of the time,” he said.
Prentice retired at the end of the year.
“I was able to replace her this year. That, along with being surrounded by some of the best teachers, really helped for a very seamless transition,” he said.
Lakeview Elementary is made up of about 310 third and fourth grades, a teaching staff of 23 for a total staff of 39 members. The students and staff are happy to have been selected for the honor as they are one out of the 134 schools across Ohio that received the School of Promise status.
There are almost 2,000 elementary schools across the state.
“Schools recognized as Schools of Promise have demonstrated high achievements on state tests in reading and math for all students, despite having over 40 percent of the students coming from low-income backgrounds,” said Schenz. “This truly demonstrates Lakeview and Coventry’s commitment to closing achievement gaps and helping our students reach high levels of education.”
Students across the state are tested through the Ohio Achievement Tests in reading, writing and math.
State Representative Stephen Dyer (D-Green) stated that the program began in 2003 and it identifies and analyzes the practices of schools that are realizing high student achievement despite having a large population of traditionally underperforming students. The ODE uses the information they gather from the successful programs and shares with other Ohio schools.
Students in these schools of promise met or exceeded the state standard of 75 percent passage in reading and/or mathematics for the school year 2007-2008. In Schools of Promise, all student groups met the federal requirement of Adequate Yearly Progress.
“The quality of our state’s education system directly impacts our long-term economic prosperity,” said Dyer. “I am proud of the achievements of these schools. The students, teachers, staff and administrators are doing an excellent job preparing for a brighter future in Ohio. They serve as a role model for other districts striving for success.”
For more information on Ohio’s Schools of Promise and to see a listing of this year’s schools, go to education.ohio.gov and search keywords: Schools of Promise.
