School in Greenbelt Named National Blue Ribbon School

From Prince George’s County Public Schools:

Robert Goddard French Immersion School in Greenbelt has been named an Exemplary High Performing School in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program by the U.S. Department of Education.

When U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced 337 new National Blue Ribbon Schools Tuesday, Robert Goddard was one of six public schools in Maryland and the only Prince George’s County public school to receive the honor, according to school officials.

“Robert Goddard French Immersion School’s recent achievement is just one example of the exemplary schools within Prince George’s County Public Schools. As a school system, we will continue to expect excellence from our students and provide them with the tools they need to become high achievers,” said Dr. Segun Eubanks, Board of Education Chair.

Robert Goddard French Immersion was named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School in December 2013. Throughout the school’s history, it has consistently been a high-performing school, as measured by Maryland state assessments. Data reported in the 2013 Maryland Report Card indicates that the school met all goals for student achievement among all subgroups of students, has an attendance rate of more than 95 percent, and 76.3 percent of all teachers have advanced professional certificates.

“We are extremely proud of the students and staff at Robert Goddard French Immersion School,” said Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools. “For the past two years, our students have demonstrated academic excellence in reading and mathematics. The school has really committed itself to creating an environment of high achievers, who continually met rigorous State and national requirements.

“The Robert Goddard French Immersion School is an example of the type of achievement we hope to attain at all of our schools,” he added.

The school has also demonstrated innovation in technology through such programs as its Virtual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Fair, which was started in 2012.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools for achieving high learning standards or making significant improvements in closing the achievement gap. The award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities to build successful schools where students are mastering challenging content.