Posted on September 20, 2007

New York City Department of Education Awarded 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education

The Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation has awarded the 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the largest education prize in the country, to the New York City Department of Education.

Created in 2002, the annual $1 million prize honors large urban school districts that demonstrate outstanding performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing gaps for poor and minority pupils; the award money will support scholarships for graduating high school seniors. As the first-prize winner, New York, which has been a finalist for the past two years, will receive $500,000, while the four other finalists — Bridgeport Public Schools in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Long Beach Unified School District in California; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; and the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio will each receive $125,000. This marks the first year that a former winner — Long Beach won in 2003 — returned as a finalist. Both Bridgeport and Miami-Dade are second-time finalists, while Northside is a first-time finalist.

"If it can be done in New York City, it can be done anywhere," said Broad Foundation founder Eli Broad. "The strong leadership by the mayor, the chancellor, and a progressive teachers union has allowed a school system the size of New York City to dramatically improve student achievement in a relatively short period of time. Other cities can look to New York as a model of successful urban school district reform."