MEDIA ADVISORY

EVENT DATE:  Embargoed until                                                                        Contacts: Chad Colby

Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m.                                                                                 (202) 401-4401

BUSH EDUCATION OFFICIAL TO Recognize American Star of Teaching At FORT RILEY

            The U.S. Department of Education’s René Islas will highlight effective teaching practices and the No Child Left Behind Act during a visit to Ware Elementary School on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Fort Riley, Kan.  Islas will recognize fourth-grade teacher Lisa Akard as a No Child Left Behind 2005 American Star of Teaching.  One teacher from every state and the District of Columbia is being recognized this fall. 

Islas also will discuss the Department’s efforts to help hurricane victims and talk about what school districts outside the affected areas can do to help during this tragic time. 

WHO:             René Islas, Chief of Staff to Assistant Secretary Henry Johnson
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education

WHAT:           School visit to Ware Elementary School
   Lisa Akard’s fourth grade class

WHERE:        Ware Elementary School
                        6795 Thomas Avenue
                        Fort Riley, KS 66442

WHEN:           Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m.           

            Ware elementary is a high poverty school (85%) with a high mobility rate (50%) and a large population of special education and ELL students.  Almost 85% of students at Ware have at least one parent deployed and 30% of the faculty has a family member deployed.

            Lisa Akard was hired as a fourth grade teacher at Ware Elementary on the Fort Riley military installation in August of 2001.  At the time, only 44% of the fourth grade students at Ware were scoring proficient or above on rigorous state math testing.  Much of this was due to the 85% poverty rate and 48% mobility rate of these military students.  Ms. Akard took it on as her special mission to assist these students in the learning process.  Through her willingness to embrace research based instructional strategies and incorporate collaboration techniques in her team of five fourth grade teachers, one hundred percent of Ware fourth grade students have scored proficient or above in math during the past four years and over 80% are reading on grade level.

            “Lisa Akard represents those professionals who see teaching as a calling, not a job,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.  “No Child Left Behind is working.  The data shows we are closing the achievement gap and seeing results.  Teachers are an integral part of that success, and we salute them for their hard work and commitment to education.” 

            Teachers across all grade levels and disciplines will be honored this fall as American Stars of Teaching.  One teacher will be recognized from every state and the District of Columbia.  A committee of former teachers at the U.S. Department of Education selected the American Stars from among 2,000 nominations based on their success in improving academic performance for all their students.

Begun in 2004, the American Stars of Teaching recognition effort is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, which includes workshops for teachers, teacher and principal roundtables, regular e-mail updates, and free online professional development.  More than 4,500 teachers have participated in workshops and roundtable discussions.

President Bush and Congress have provided an unprecedented $16.1 billion in federal funding since 2001 to support the teaching profession.  In addition, a House committee recently approved a new initiative of President Bush’s -- the Teacher Incentive Fund -- which would reward K-12 educators who make outstanding progress in raising student achievement or narrowing the achievement gap. The Teacher Incentive Fund is a proposed provision of a Higher Education Act reauthorization bill, which would also make permanent student loan forgiveness available for such teachers. 

The Department and Secretary Spellings are committed to supporting educators through efforts such as the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative and other programs.

The No Child Left Behind Act is the bipartisan landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America’s schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility to states, giving parents more information and options, and teaching students based on what works.  Under the law’s strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those with disabilities, achieve academically.

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