Naugatuck School Selected As U.S. Blue Ribbon School

NAUGATUCK, CT — Several Connecticut schools were honored as Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday, including one in Naugatuck. The award recognizes a school’s overall academic performance as well the commitment by staff to help students succeed.

In all, 325 schools were named to the 2021 list. Now in its 39th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has given approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

Included on this year’s list are four schools located in Connecticut.

The Naugatuck school to receive the honor is:

Andrew Avenue School, Naugatuck

• School Type: Elementary
• District: Naugatuck Public Schools

Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year, according to the Department of Education. Nominees are selected by top education officials in states and territories, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The other Connecticut schools to make the list are Frisbie Elementary School in Wolcott; Northwestern Regional High School in Regional School District 7; and Thames River Magnet School (formerly known as Mary Morrisson Elementary School) in Groton.

Gov. Ned Lamont praised the four Connecticut schools to make the list.

"Connecticut's public school teachers are the best in the United States, and the tools they are providing our youngest residents will enable them to achieve success throughout their careers," Lamont said. "Every child – no matter their family's income or the neighborhood where they are being raised – deserves access to a quality education that prepares them for achievement. There's no doubt that we must continue on our mission to close persistent achievement gaps that have lingered for far too long, but I firmly believe that the strong work of so many of our educators is having an impact. I congratulate these four Connecticut public schools on earning this national distinction and wish them continued success."

Blue Ribbon Schools are then selected based on their performance in one of two categories:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools: These are among a state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools: These are among a state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between all other students and according to a school’s student groups.

Schools are also selected based on student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates.

This year’s nominees "illustrate what is possible" during tough times, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a news release.

"I commend this school and all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs,” Cardona said in the release. “In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children.”

Background information on Andrew Avenue Elementary School, provided by Gov. Lamont's office:

Andrew Avenue Elementary School is a small Naugatuck school serving about 225 students in Grades K-4. More than 70 percent of students are from economically-disadvantaged families. Andrew Avenue educators take a trauma-informed approach to everything they do, paying attention to the needs of all learners and their families. The district has emphasized instructional routines and consistent use of technology across all schools. Andrew Avenue staff have implemented this with fidelity so that students and their families know what to expect and vertical collaboration within the school can be optimized.

To address social and emotional learning needs, the RULER program has been implemented in all classrooms. RULER helps students self-regulate and be ready to learn by Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions. Students develop these skills for use in and outside of the classroom. As a result of RULER, students have learned to express themselves more effectively, become more confident, and are more likely to persevere through difficult tasks. The simultaneous attention to academic and social and emotional learning enables continued academic growth resulting in Andrew Avenue Elementary earning School of Distinction status for two consecutive years.