The Georgia Department of Education is relaunching its Schools of Excellence Award. The award is given in recognition of both high-achieving schools and highlights those making the biggest improvements.
Sponsored by the Meemic Foundation, one high-achieving school and one most improved school will be recognized in each of the 14 Congressional districts in the state. Schools will be judged on five pillars: content mastery, school climate, operations, environmental and sustainability education, and innovation. Thanks to the Meemic Foundation, winning schools will each receive $1,000.
“Schools across Georgia are succeeding every day, providing new opportunities and opening new pathways for their students,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “Schools of Excellence provides a much-needed recognition of those schools’ efforts and the impact they’re having on the children of our state.”
Any K-12 school that has been in existence for five full years that has more than 100 students may apply for the award. The Department of Education recommends assembling a team to complete the thorough application process. Eligible schools must also be clear of any issues or suits with the U.S. Department of Justice or Department of Education, such as civil rights violations or disabilities act violations. Schools must also have no history of testing irregularities, or have pending irregularities charges. Presumably the term “history” is recent enough that the Atlanta Schools system would be in the clear.
The Meemic Foundation was established as a business by a group of Michigan teachers in 1950 as the Meemic Insurance Company that served the educational community. Business took off and in 1992, the Meemic Foundation was established. The foundation began to fund college scholarships but in 1999 began to shift its focus to provide grants to educators, with an eye of extending funding to more students.
“The Meemic Foundation is proud to partner with the Georgia Department of Education to sponsor their Schools of Excellence program that will recognize and celebrate the superior achievements of esteemed Georgia schools,” said Pamela Harlin, Director of The Meemic Foundation. “We look forward to working with the Georgia Department of Education as we continue our dedicated mission to give back and honor those schools and their staffs that give so much to educate our youth.”
The Meemic Foundation also operates a free Foundation Club that was created to provide members access to benefits like year-round grant opportunities, a resource library for classroom tips and discounts on school supplies.
For readers with children of varying age, you may remember the previous edition of the Georgia Schools of Excellence. That program ended in 2013 but it is reborn this year with the new sponsor.
Rules and other information for applicants can be found here
The actual application for recognition can be found here
