Gwinnett wins prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education: A validation of its strong superintendent
Congratulations to the teachers, students and administrators of Gwinnett schools. In a ceremony in New York, Gwinnett was just declared the nation’s top urban school system by the Broad Foundation, earning the district a million dollars in student scholarships and its controversial superintendent validation of his strong leadership style.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the award in front of an audience that included a large Gwinnett contingent.
In New York today, J. Alvin Wilbanks accepted the 2010 Broad Prize on behalf of Gwinnett schools from U.S. Ed Secetary Arne Duncan.
The Broad Prize for Urban Education honors the urban system that has the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing the achievement gap. It is the largest education prize in the country.
“This is a great trip to New York,” said Dr. Alvin Wilbanks, Gwinnett superintendent, thanking his board of education and his central staff. “Let me present to you the real heroes – the two people who make a real difference in the success of students, the teachers and principals. It is not us in the district office — you are the ones who carry out what we are supposed to do. We learned a long time ago that our mission is teaching and learning and that has caused a sea change in what we do.”
While I know that Wilbanks has his critics, I have to share a conversation I had last week with a former DOE official. He said that he dealt with the leadership teams of all the districts, and he understood why DeKalb and Atlanta had so many more problems that Gwinnett.
He said Wilbanks assembled a leadership team that was sharp, responsive and together, while the other two systems’ teams were disorganized and non-responsive.
When I need photos of top students or a statement, Gwinnett is the first to respond. From an outside point of view, Gwinnett is well run, efficient and responsive.
So, while Wilbanks may be demanding and, according to his critics, imperious, I have to offer that he is also effective in what matters most: Educating children.
So thought a jury that included former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige, former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros.
An 18-member review board selected the five finalists. Other finalists are Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, N.C., Montgomery County Public Schools, Md., Socorro Independent School District, El Paso, Texas, and Ysleta Independent School District, El Paso, Texas.
Here are some of the statements in support of Gwinnett today:
Gov Perdue: “This national recognition for Gwinnett County Public Schools is well deserved. The school board, Superintendent. Wilbanks and the staff and faculty in Gwinnett have made student achievement their singular focus. Gwinnett was the first Georgia system to sign an IE2 contract, and the system is one of 26 participating in the state’s Race to the Top program. Gwinnett has consistently embraced innovative education policies, and today’s announcement of the Broad Prize award is a direct result of all the hard work put in over the years to raise student performance.”
State Superintendent Brad Bryant: “Congratulations to Superintendent Wilbanks and Gwinnett County Public Schools on receiving the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education. This award is a testament to Gwinnett’s commitment to provide every student with an opportunity for success. Gwinnett is a shining example of how high expectations can lead to outstanding student achievement. ”
GAE President Calvine Rollins. “On behalf of the Georgia Association of Educators, we wholeheartedly congratulate Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks and the teachers and education support professionals of Gwinnett County on receiving the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education. We especially congratulate our colleagues of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators for their hard work and dedication in ensuring their students receive the great public education to which they’re entitled.”
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173 comments Add your comment
VP
October 19th, 2010
1:27 pm
If Gwinnett (Duluth, Norcross, Buford, Lawrenceville) is urban, what is suburban? What is APS?
Fred
October 19th, 2010
1:29 pm
Great, Gwinnett wins a prize for good schools and here in Dekalb our Super gets indicted………
sigh………..
But congrats Gwinnett. It’s nice to see a “success” story with so much bad news on ejimikashun in this State.
Fred
October 19th, 2010
1:31 pm
Nice post @ 1:23, Dekalb Educated.
Goal Digger
October 19th, 2010
1:31 pm
No surprise that people have come in here gripping, good grief. The BROAD Foundation gets to choose who its nominees are, so file a complaint with THEM. And while you’re whining “unfair” and other obscenities, stellar, high need Gwinnett students will be laughing all the way to the financial aid office on FULL scholarships
Kiljoy In Duluth
October 19th, 2010
1:32 pm
One bright ray of hope in a Gwinnett. May be the school board and superintendent would consider taking over county government.
The Producer
October 19th, 2010
1:36 pm
To all of the negative commentators,
As a Gwinnett County resident, this is more about our Kids future than where you live. It’s about where we’re going as a society and to stay competitive in the world. So please leave classism and racism comments out this accomplishment. With that said, congratulations goes to a school system that is trying to get it right. A glimmer of hope for future society…….
Grizz
October 19th, 2010
1:38 pm
As a parent who has supported this system, worked with it, criticized it, and still volunteers to help at risk students, all I can say is WOW.
Just Sayin'
October 19th, 2010
1:41 pm
Good job Gwinnet!! Two thumbs up!
I swear some of you are worse than the kid who didn’t get chosen for the lead in 3rd grade the play ~ even if the play gets rave reviews you still sulk because you played the tree and not the princess. Grow up!
JJ
October 19th, 2010
1:42 pm
I specifically moved OUT of DeKalb County to Gwinnett County to get my kid in Gwinnett schools…..She went from Pre-K to high school graduation in Gwinnett!
Way to go Gwinnett!!!!!! I’m very proud!!!!!
HOPEFUL
October 19th, 2010
1:45 pm
Well first of all CONGRATS in order…..Gwinnett County is improving but we need a lot more HELP. Gwinnett County won this monetary award because we are 48th or 49th in the nation when it comes to education. Really…you would think with the large population of migration from all over the country and outside of the country the system would be much better. It’s sad to say that most people are mislead by all the hoopla surrounding the Gwinnett County Clusters but it because our children are almost left behind….when there is a NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND education act. Don’t get me wrong my children attend the schools in Gwinnett County/Collins Hill Cluster and I constantly have to stay on top of their education. Lets spend this money on EDUCATION and not funnel it somewhere else. Our children deserve better…..New text books, music and arts funding, full funding of PE K-12 and continuing education for the educators……they too need to keep up with ongoing education…A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE.
New: School dinners in DC… “Should philanthropy be a profession?”… A cappella [News, 10.19.10] « Washington Grantmakers Daily
October 19th, 2010
1:46 pm
[...] Public Schools was a finalist, but this year’s Broad Prize for Urban Education just went to a district outside Atlanta, Ga. (AJC, [...]
PRHS MOM
October 19th, 2010
1:51 pm
Gwinnett County’s School System does not meet the needs of the special education students in its school system so how it won any award is beyond me. I as a parent have had to advocate every step of the way to make sure that my special needs child IEP was followed. It is very sad that a system can win an award and not have a handle on their Special Education Department.
Education Insider
October 19th, 2010
1:52 pm
This is a district who knew one of their “Teacher of the Year” teachers’ had seduced one of her students’, bought him alcohol and paid for a hotel room, but allowed her to resign for “medical reasons”. This is one of the best? Really? Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Dacula and Meadowcreek high schools were deemed “dropout factories” as none could graduate more then 59% of their incoming freshman in four years. Best at what? Spin?
Bibb Dawg
October 19th, 2010
1:52 pm
Gwinnett is considered “urban”??
Zar
October 19th, 2010
1:53 pm
Gwinnett is considered urban? Seriously?
Scott
October 19th, 2010
1:55 pm
Who would have the audacity to put down a MILLION DOLLARS for any school system in this country at this perilous time! GEEZZZZ- people, Get a grip!
theriddler
October 19th, 2010
1:58 pm
Gwinnett’s a landfill for people. It’s a poor reflection on the national level.
Allen
October 19th, 2010
2:01 pm
Dingy (at 1:07) you made my point–if this is a great “Urban” school, they certainly don’t need to keep taking the funds, which are probably less than this award anyway, the state takes from other “Urban” counties to fund “Rural” school systems, under the “Equalization” program.
But I won’t hold my breath.
Texas Pete
October 19th, 2010
2:07 pm
Let’s go a different route stonecasters. Someone name a school system more deserving of the award (especially in Georgia). I’ll sit back and watch.
Kate
October 19th, 2010
2:07 pm
I’m happy for Gwinnett, but as a former student and now a parent, I’m kind of at a loss as to how they won this award. There is a tremendous disparity between the good schools and the bad in this county, and even the good aren’t what they used to be (not to mention they are few and far between these days.)
EnoughAlready
October 19th, 2010
2:07 pm
Congrats to the Gwinnett students, teachers, principals and system administrators. How do we make sure that our child is considered one of the chosen few?
The Producer
October 19th, 2010
2:09 pm
So much hate, so much wasted time…..
msdevoe
October 19th, 2010
2:10 pm
That’s why we moved here! Proud Parent of an Archer High School Student!!!
Texas Pete
October 19th, 2010
2:16 pm
Kate,
Gwinnett’s worse schools would rival the absolute best schools in many systems in this state. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. This isn’t an award for the most perfect school system in the country. People need to stop holding out hope for Utopia and learn to deal with problems because they are everywhere. I’ve already seen two posts concerning special needs support. One parent said Gwinnett was getting the job done while another said she had to advocate constantly to get the IEP followed. To the latter parent, was the IEP followed in the end? If so, that’s better than a lot of situations where parents can’t get it followed at all.
What is lost in all this talk of recognition and money is that the primary factor for student success is parental involvement. No one said life is easy and sometimes you have to work harder or even fight for what you need. Gwinnett is relatively successful because it has a higher concentration of parents willing to fight for their children at every level. Most systems are full of parents who view school as a daycare and a burden on their lifestyle. Don’t let a school official say that Little Johnny is doing bad with behavior and/or classwork. Of course it’s the school’s fault and someone is doing Johnny wrong rather than the parent taking an honest look at what might be a small problem that can be easily fixed with some attention to the matter.
Gwinnett has its flaws, just fewer than most systems.
Dr. John Trotter
October 19th, 2010
2:16 pm
A “prize” coming from the Broad Foundation is dubious at best. What if MACE selected a school system of the year? Do you think that the AJC would do handstands as if the City had just been awarded host site of the Olympics? Ha! The Broad Foundation is a joke, and Alvin Wilbanks is a dictatorial superintendent at best. There are indeed some good schools in Gwinnett. There are some good students too. There are certainly good teachers in Gwinnett, but I don’t need any “award” from an anit-teacher institute like the Broad Foundation to validate this for me.
This is certainly a good thing
October 19th, 2010
2:17 pm
And I believe I just heard my property values INCH up – even thought my kids are long gone from Gwinnett PS.
Two questions: We have to assume that Gwinnett won this award because of good management and HIGH standardized test scores, along with the emphasis that EVERY student should be on a college prep track. Question: Is this really a successful model for moving to 2025 and beyond.
Question: If Gwinnett is urban, what does surburban look like? Is there a new term for large city systems besides “urban?”
Allen
October 19th, 2010
2:19 pm
No hate here, and congratulations to Gwinnett, but let’s stop the charade that Gwinnett is a poor rural school district in need of financial support from urban districts via the state “Equalization” process.
Gwinnett County Named Top Urban School District in Country | Lennar Homes Blog
October 19th, 2010
2:21 pm
[...] source – ajc.com [...]
Larry Major
October 19th, 2010
2:25 pm
Congratulations to the students and staff at Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Let’s hope this doesn’t give Alvin a swelled head and make him difficult -)
I’m going to can this in a function key:
The state Equalization Funding is funded through legislative appropriations from the state’s general fund. It is not funded by school systems and no school system’s QBE earnings are reduced in any way by its existence. Please don’t take my word for this and research it to prove to yourself that this is how it works.
new math
October 19th, 2010
2:25 pm
Let’s see how the juniors do on their GGT for the new math…
Fred
October 19th, 2010
2:28 pm
Gwinnett is hardly “Urban” if you think it is, get a few miles outside of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett is still the Sticks.
I have so much respect for Gwinnett Schools we pulled our kids out of Gwinnett Schools and put them in private schools, best thing we ever did for them.
If you put your kids in Public Schools, ANY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, you are raising a looser!!!!!
middler and so tired of all the rhetoric :
October 19th, 2010
2:30 pm
My daughter went from elementary through high school in the Norcross cluster. She was a 4.0 student in AP classes and in lots of extracurricular activities. I found many of her teachers mediocre and disinterested, the county unresponsive to their customers of parents and students, and that she received a really poor education. My husband and I will always regret we did not educate her in private school.
Dr. John Trotter
October 19th, 2010
2:33 pm
Maureen: You are right that there is criticism for Wilbanks being “imperious.” Can we remember Nixon’s Imperial Presidency? (In the interest of fair disclosure, I voted for Nixon in 1972 and think that he too accomplished some good things, though he was beset with paranoia.) I have never been accused of being “imperious” (at least not that I know of; just the normal “crazy”), but I have been accused of being “impervious” to pain. Hence, this is probably one of the reasons that I blog under my real name. I am “crazy,” umembarrassable, and impervious to pain! Ha!
Phil
October 19th, 2010
2:41 pm
Being the biggest and the best in ga…..I think the other metro counties are a bit jealous eh…
Vedette
October 19th, 2010
2:43 pm
Alvin Wilbanks and the school board deserve a lot of credit. The school district has grown at breakneck speed, finances have dropped, the number of English-as-a-second language students has soared, and the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students is half, or nearly so, of the total. Any one of these things is enough to make the wheels come off. Instead, test scores remain high, more kids are applying to go to college, and staff morale is high.
The school board is stable, focused on the kids, and most importantly not crazy. Alvin shares their vision and knows how to get there. And the principals and teachers are committed and resourceful. Well done by all concerned.
BlackGirl
October 19th, 2010
2:46 pm
@art, gimme a break. It’s wonderful that you love Westminster, however there are WONDERFUL public schools out there. I’ve known MANY classmates and family members to graduate from public school and go on to have uber successful careers. Westminster is a fine school. I have a friend whose kid is an 8th grader at Westminster. It’s a personal decision that I can understand, but to say that all public schools are mediocre is unfair to the students that attend these schools. And for the record, Fulton has some of the BEST public schools in the state. Why do you think that Buckhead parents choose to pay for their kid to go to Riverwood for $8000 instead of Westminster for $20,000, even though they can afford both.
How in the world is Gwinnett considered an Urban school district? Kudos to them, but they’re far from urban.
Phillip44
October 19th, 2010
2:49 pm
Will teachers ever get the recognition they deserve for helping Gwinnett County get this award ?
Proud Teacher
October 19th, 2010
2:53 pm
This award has been in the making for the past couple of years. It feels good to be on a winning team. Go Berkmar and Go all of Gwinnett!!!!!!!!
Dunwoody Mom
October 19th, 2010
2:56 pm
Fred said. If you put your kids in Public Schools, ANY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, you are raising a looser!!!!!
Fred…it loser…..
Texas Pete
October 19th, 2010
2:56 pm
Fred and art,
I would argue that if your child cannot learn in a public school that maybe it’s you who are raising the loser. Just sayin’…
Dr NO
October 19th, 2010
2:57 pm
Asha
October 19th, 2010
1:10 pm
LOL…thats pretty good and I agree…LOL!
PS…are you and APS employee? LMAO!! AHH HAHAHAHAAAA!!!
Maureen Downey
October 19th, 2010
2:59 pm
@Phillip44, Your super certainly credited teachers in his speech today.
Maureen
Dr NO
October 19th, 2010
3:01 pm
“as a parent have had to advocate every step of the way to make sure that my special needs child IEP was followed.”
As did I. One of my chldren was in IEP and I had to constantly stay on the teachers and force them to do certain things…its your JOB. Dont be bitter about doing the right thing for your child.
Dr NO
October 19th, 2010
3:04 pm
bart
October 19th, 2010
12:51 pm
No I dont think so. Most Gwinnett parents are Republicans and its a known fact Rep parents are far more responsble than the democratic parents. NO? Well lets see, Gwinnett/Reps win award. APS/Dems have SACS on them, they have a cheating scandal, huge dropout rates etc.
Case CLOSED!
Phil
October 19th, 2010
3:07 pm
Asha you sound kinda like a sixties flower child….
Jennifer Falk
October 19th, 2010
3:08 pm
The irony of it all. Congratulations Gwinnett.
zoe
October 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
As someone who attended school in an “urban” district and who now teaches in a TRUE “urban” district, I think the main point of contention is that Gwinnett is not an urban system. Parts of the system are, but the majority of the students do not live in an urban setting, do not attend school in an urban setting nor do the majority of the teachers teach what I would consider urban students. Only 50 of 130 schools were listed as Title I schools in 2009-2010, most urban systems are 100% Title I. Also, if Gwinnett receives funds from the equalization monies because they are considered a “rural” system by the state, it is interesting that the system is willing to change its classification based on where the money is coming from. It is nice that the system was recognized, but it seems they are getting acclaim for overcoming urban problems, when the system isn’t urban so it doesn’t have any urban problems to overcome.
Hollywould
October 19th, 2010
3:10 pm
I agree with texas pete. If your child can’t learn in a public school perhaps the home is where it starts. I have an 11year old son and 8 year old daughter in public school. All I can see is how much they are learning/ having fun while they are doing it. I get e-mails almost daily from their teachers showing me what they are doing and what they can improve on. These teachers seem to be working very hard and long hours. I swear some of you would try to downgrade anything. I am glad I don’t have your look on life.
Congrats to Gwinnett
Kim
October 19th, 2010
3:12 pm
When you see your child coming home with test scores of 105 you know your in the right district. That’s why I moved here from Boston!!! Go Gwinnett!! Everyone else who is making bad comments are just jealous, and need to grow up or do something about the level of education that their kids are not getting instead of bad mouthing the ones who are!!
dawgh8er4ever
October 19th, 2010
3:16 pm
PRHS MOM
October 19th, 2010
1:51 pm
Gwinnett County’s School System does not meet the needs of the special education students in its school system so how it won any award is beyond me. I as a parent have had to advocate every step of the way to make sure that my special needs child IEP was followed. It is very sad that a system can win an award and not have a handle on their Special Education Department.
Really PRHS mom…my wife is the department head for Special Ed at North Gwinnett High School, and its been said that its the model for Gwinnett, so just because the Special Ed Dept is bad at one place doesnt reflect that its bad elsewhere. Also…its YOUR responsibility to enforce the IEP and to make sure the teachers are doing their job, as Dr. NO said, be be bitter about doing the right thing for your child.