Equity Champions: Brian Rainey

EQUITY CHAMPIONS Brian Rainey Real champions inspire us because we know they give everything to make a difference. Through this column, we are helping make known real champions in the lives of children and youth. At NCUST, we are thankful for all the many equity champions who are, each day, changing lives, changing schools, and […]
Why Apply? A message from NCUST Executive Director Joseph F. Johnson, Jr.

WHY APPLY? At NCUST, it has been our honor to visit and learn from over 150 amazing schools that achieve multiple evidences of outstanding learning results for every racial/ethnic/income group of students they serve. We look forward to recognizing, celebrating, and learning from more urban schools during this coming year. Why do we invest the […]
ABUS Spotlight – Fay Herron Elementary School
Fay Herron Elementary School North Las Vegas, NV Grades: PK-5 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award Winner Fay Herron staff are dedicated to their students and “by any means necessary” will find the resources teachers need to reach their primarily low-income and Latino student population. The principal’s motto is, “If you make a decision […]
Leadership Moves…Specifying Who Will Benefit from Change

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Leadership Moves…Specifying Who Will Benefit from Change. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] While each high-performing urban school might have emphasized different details as they framed reasons for change, they all shared surprising consistency and impressive clarity as they emphasized that change efforts were intended to benefit all students. Leaders made extra efforts to clarify that the proposed efforts […]
ABUS Spotlight – Westcliff Elementary School

[vc_row][vc_column][gem_divider margin_bottom=”16″ class_name=”16″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Westcliff Elementary School Fort Worth, TX Grades: PK-5 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award Winner Westcliff Elementary School in Fort Worth Independent School District is a thriving and active place, from their classrooms to their outdoor learning center to the multiple community and parent volunteers and student teachers from Texas Christian […]
ABUS Spotlight – World Languages Institute

AMERICA’S BEST URBAN SCHOOLS SPOTLIGHT WORLD LANGUAGES INSTITUTE Fort Worth Independent School District Fort Worth, TX Grades 6-10 Principal: Guadalupe Barreto WEBSITE ENROLLMENT: 277 Latinx 89% White 6% Black 5% Free/ Reduced Lunch 81% Students With Disabilities 3% English Learners 20% The World Languages Institute mission is to prepare students linguistically, socially and cognitively to […]
Leadership Moves…Leadership that Influences the Desire to Change.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Leadership Moves… Leadership that Influences the Desire to Change. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] It’s all about leadership. She [the principal] came in here with a vision and the rest of us followed suit. She came with a vision. She changed patterns, she changed mentalities, and she changed perceptions. Students started buying into it. Teachers started buying into […]
ABUS Spotlight – Kenmore Elementary School

[vc_row][vc_column][gem_divider margin_bottom=”16″ class_name=”16″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Kenmore Elementary School Baldwin Park, CA Grades: TK-6 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award Winner Kenmore Elementary uses a Response to Intervention (RTI) model to ensure all students have access to a standards-based, rigorous curriculum. They believe that “all students can succeed by mastering one standard at a time.” A big […]
ABUS Spotlight – Solomon P. Ortiz Elementary School

[vc_row][vc_column][gem_divider margin_bottom=”16″ class_name=”16″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text] Solomon P. Ortiz Elementary School Brownsville, TX Grades: PK-5 2018 America’s Best Urban Schools Award Winner At Ortiz Elementary School, all students, including those who are learning English and those with special needs, are learning the same rigorous curricula. Administration, faculty, and staff all believe in the capacity of their students […]
Leadership Moves…Opening the Door of a Model Classroom in a High Performing Urban School

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Leadership Moves… Opening the Door of a Model Classroom in a High Performing Urban School [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] Whether it’s inside a brand new building with modern architecture, or an older school with lots of character, opening the door of a classroom in a high performing school has common characteristics that make it educationally magical. In […]