Co-nect Announces Selection of National Demonstration Schools.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Seven Schools Honored for Outstanding Achievement in Teacher Development, Test Scores, and Assessment Practices

Co-nect, the leader in data-driven professional development solutions for K-12 education, today announced the selection of seven National Demonstration Schools for 2004-05. The honor is awarded annually to select schools affiliated with Co-nect that have demonstrated exceptional achievement in six critical areas of operation including: test scores, teaching and learning, assessment practices, school organization, school community, and effective use of technology.

This year's winners were selected from over 200 schools nationwide and include: Abner Baker Central School in Fort Morgan, Colo.; Broad Ford Elementary School in Oakland, Md.; Centennial Place Elementary School and Grove Park Elementary School in Atlanta, Ga.; Helms Community Learning Center in Houston, Texas; and PS #5 and PS #33 in Jersey City, N.J.

In addition to individual schools, Co-nect this year awarded a district designation, recognizing Gwinn Area Community Schools in Gwinn, Mich. as the first National Demonstration School District.

"These schools were chosen because they exemplify Co-nect's mission to drive whole-school improvement through the application of rigorous, research-based strategies designed to improve instructional practices in the classroom," said Andrew Skoler, president and chief executive officer of Co-nect. "They're simply best practice examples of schools with high quality instruction and continually improving student results.

Each school selected as a Co-nect National Demonstration School must complete at least two years of implementation of the Co-nect solution and demonstrate an improvement in test results over the past two academic years.

To be considered for the honor each school must either be nominated by a Co-nect school consultant or field manager, or the school can elect to independently submit an application. Each application must be accompanied by a progress report supporting steady progress in seven of 10 distinctive areas, such as rich and stimulating classroom environment; coherent, focused instruction; thoughtful discourse; compelling real-world application; regular diagnostic assessment for learning; and effective use of technology.

Following the successful evaluation by a cross-departmental review panel, the selected schools are awarded $250, a personalized plaque and banner, and asked to serve as reference sites for other schools and districts interested in observing Co-nect's research-based professional development practices in action.

About Co-nect

Co-nect (http://www.co-nect.net) is a leading provider of data-driven, K-12 professional development solutions focused on improving the quality of classroom instruction district-wide. Co-nect delivers training, tools, and resources to solve critical issues such as whole school improvement, data-informed decision-making, technology integration, and early reading failure. Since 1992, Co-nect has been a leader in improving instructional quality - implementing data-informed solutions in over 33 states. The company is based in Cambridge, Mass. More information can be found at: http://www.co-nect.net/.