Ryan Ostry
Bugle Reporter
@RyanOstry_BR18
rostry@buglenewspapers.com
The National Title I Association has recognized Eisenhower Academy in Joliet Public Schools District 86 as a National Title I Distinguished School.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) nominated Eisenhower Academy for the honor based on its exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years.
ISBE honored both schools (Eisenhower and Washington Elementary) at the annual statewide Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Conference Feb. 11-13 in Chicago.
The National Title I Association recognized the schools Jan. 31 at its annual conference in Kansas City, Mo.
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“Only up to two schools per state can receive this award,” said Sandra Zalewski, Director for Communications and Development. “We were ecstatic when we found out, a lot of hard work went into this award.”
Title I is the cornerstone of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reauthorized in 2015 as ESSA.
Title I provides funding for students in schools that serve low-income communities, where Eisenhower is one of the schools that fall under that category.
Every student at Eisenhower Academy is eligible to receive free lunches based on Joliet Public Schools’ overall low-income student percentage.
Eighty-four percent of students met or exceeded standards in math on the state’s accountability assessment in 2018, and 82 percent met or exceeded standards in English language arts.
“It’s a wonderful accomplishment for the District as whole,” Zalewski said. “We are just so proud of our students and staff for receiving this prestigious award.”
Eisenhower Academy is a public magnet school with a staff committed to providing a structured educational setting for students with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.
After being nominated by the Illinois School Board Association along with Washington Elementary last fall, Zalewski said the entire process was exhilarating.
An application process had to begin, followed by a nominating process, uploading information where it finished by being told in late December through early January Eisenhower would officially be a top school.
“We admittedly got super excited and let all of our parents and staff know what was going on with the award,” Zalewski said. “It’s very rewarding to see the grind of every day hard work which we see all the time paying off so greatly for everyone involved in this process.”