Two New Hampshire Title I Schools Nationally Recognized

The NH Department of Education in conjunction with the National Title I Association has announced two New Hampshire public schools have been nationally recognized for exceptional work to improve student achievement in 2017. The two schools are the Rochester-based Nancy Loud School and the Concord-based Beaver Meadow School.The Nancy Loud School has been recognized in Category 1 of the National Title I Distinguished Schools Program for “exceptional student performance for two consecutive years.” Over the last three years, it has also continued to increase its average index score on the statewide assessment report showing sustainable growth in its academic achievement school-wide. Michael Hopkins, superintendent of the Nancy Loud School, said, “I am excited that Nancy Loud students and staff have been recognized for their exceptional progress. The staff focuses on individual students and their growth to ensure each student is working to their potential.”

In Concord, the Beaver Meadow School was recognized in “Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups” and was recently removed from being a “Focus School” because evidence supported the school’s improvements in closing its achievement gap, ensuring that all students in all subgroups succeeded academically. Terri Forsten, superintendent of the Concord School District, said, “We are thrilled to learn of the New Hampshire Department of Education’s recognition of the Beaver Meadow School. With federal funds from Title I, our school was able to attend national conferences towards professional skill development, to support parent engagement activities, and also to support the purchase of student learning materials. When a school is successful it is the result of parents, teachers, students and leaders working on a focused, collaborative vision toward student success. We are very proud the Beaver Meadow School has effectively closed the achievement gap with their students.”

The NH Commissioner of Education, Frank Edelblut, stated, “I am proud of all of the educators, school communities, families, and especially the students for working hard to improve their educational environments and experiences. I look forward to learning more about these improvements and sharing promising practices throughout the state.”

For more information about the Title I Distinguished School program, please visit: www.titlei.org/ds.