MAHONING VALLEY State recognizes 4 area schools for achievement

At least 50 percent of pupils in qualifying schools meet low-income criteria.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Four area schools are among 31 across Ohio named "Schools of Promise" by State Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman and the Ohio Department of Education.
The schools were included in the program for showing that pupils in low-income communities not only can achieve state and federal standards, but can also exceed them.
"Many people actually believe that because you're poor, because you're black, because you're Hispanic, that you can't succeed," Zelman said. "This isn't so. These schools provide the hope -- and the promise -- that despite the economic, racial or ethnic backgrounds of students and the communities where they live, these students can succeed."
Local schools earning the honor are:
U Struthers High School for proficiency rates in both ninth-grade math (84.3 percent) and reading (89.7 percent).
U Alden Elementary in Warren for fourth-grade reading proficiency rate (84.8 percent).
U MacDonald Elementary in Wellsville for fourth-grade reading and math proficiency rates (both 86.4 percent).
UMesopotamia Elementary for fourth-grade reading proficiency (95 percent).
Results are based on recently released 2002-2003 proficiency test scores and other data. Struthers High School and the Mesopotamia and MacDonald Elementary schools also made the Schools of Promise list for 2001-2002 scores.
Loree Richardson, principal at Warren's Alden Elementary, believes setting high expectations is partly responsible for the success.
Extra help for pupils who need it is available before school, during lunch and after school. The school also has worked in the last few years to bring pupils into the building during the summer to meet their teachers before school starts. Emphasis during the summer meetings is placed on reading, writing and math, Richardson said. She also credited teachers and parents.
"We seek to establish closer relationships with our parents," Richardson said. "We try to let them know that we need and want their support."
Second year in a row
Sandi DiBacco, superintendent of Struthers Schools, credits a team of good administrators, teachers and intervention specialists who provide kids whatever they need to be successful. She also credits the team's commitment to continuously challenge their students to do better.
"We're very, very excited being designated two years in a row," DiBacco said. "We're not just a school of promise, we're a district of promise. Our goal is to continue to provide what kids need to be successful, and that's how we use our resources, to have a direct impact on students."
Ken Halbert, Bloomfield-Mesopotamia superintendent and elementary school principal, was out of town Monday and couldn't be reached.
All selected schools will be recognized at a statewide conference Oct. 22 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Awards will be presented, and best practices and strategies from these Schools of Promise will be shared.
Statewide numbers
Across the state, 20 elementary schools, two middle schools, six high schools, two community schools and one alternative school met or exceeded criteria for the program. Of the 31 schools, 17 are in Appalachian communities with high concentrations of poverty; seven are in the Cleveland Municipal School District. All of the 18 elementary schools recognized for high achievement in fourth-grade reading participate in the OhioReads program.