Proud seniors pose with their scholarship awards.
During Wednesday’s visit to Read School, The Broad Foundation surprised 14 graduating high school seniors with the news that they had won a collective $125,000 in college scholarships. Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS) received the scholarship money as a finalist for the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education. The district is again a finalist for the 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education and is in the running for the top prize of $500,000 in scholarships.
“Our mission is to, along with the supporting community, graduate all students ‘college ready’ and prepared to succeed in life. These students are certainly ‘college ready’ as a result of their academic achievements. The scholarships made possible by The Broad Foundation will help ease the burden of college tuition, allowing students to concentrate on their studies,” said Dr. John J. Ramos, Sr., BPS superintendent. Superintendent Ramos personally presented the scholarships to surprised winners who were seated in the audience at the Read School library after being told they were being brought to Read School for a Read Aloud session with the elementary school students.
The following 14 seniors were selected from Bridgeport Public Schools to receive Broad Prize scholarships:
Student Name |
High School |
Annekie T. Gayle |
Harding |
Barbara A. Clinkscales |
Harding |
Travis J. Sullivan |
Harding |
Sherene Barnett |
Harding |
Jovon K. Shippy |
Central Magnet |
Shena A. Banton |
Harding |
Dalesha N. Robinson |
Bassick |
Linton L. Kinlock |
Harding |
Carolann Lundy |
Harding |
Brittany A. Francis |
Central Magnet |
Sandra P. Sanclemente |
Harding |
Karina M. Perez |
Central Magnet |
Jordan A. Soares |
Central Magnet |
Shenae K. Cherrington |
Central Magnet |
“I am proud that deserving students in our nation’s most improved urban districts will receive financial support through Broad Prize scholarships to go on to college,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation. “Broad Prize scholars have worked hard to improve their grades over the course of high school, and we are proud that with this support they will go on to continue their academic success in college.”
The $1 million Broad Prize for Urban Education is the largest education prize in the country and is awarded each year to urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement in the nation while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low- income students.
The Broad Prize winning district receives $500,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors, and each of the four finalist districts receives $125,000 in scholarships. The winner of the 2006 Broad Prize was Boston Public Schools. In addition to BPS, other included Jersey City Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education.
This year, Bridgeport is again a finalist for the 2007 Broad Prize, guaranteeing that next year’s graduating seniors will receive a minimum of $125,000 in scholarships or $500,000 in scholarships, if Bridgeport wins the top prize.
Unlike many traditional scholarships that are awarded only to top tier students, Broad Prize scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors who have a demonstrated record of improving their grades over the course of their high school career and have financial need.
Seniors from Broad Prize districts are eligible for two- or four-year scholarships depending on the type of institution they choose to attend. Students who enroll in four-year institutions receive $10,000 scholarships paid out over four years ($2,500 per year). Students who enroll in two-year institutions receive $2,500 scholarships paid out over two years ($1,250 per year). The scholarship selection and disbursement process is jointly managed by Scholarship and Recognition Programs, a program of The College Board, administered by the Educational Testing Service.
The scholarships were awarded to students during a visit to BPS by a national education panel gathering information to assist prominent national leaders, including former governors, U.S. secretaries of education and CEOs as they decide whether Bridgeport will win The Broad Prize for Urban Education. This week-long “site visit” includes interviews with district officials, principals, teachers, staff, parents and community organizations, as well as classroom observations. Best practices in BPS collected during the site visit will be shared with other urban school districts nationwide.
The winner will be announced on Sept. 18 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. More than 100 of the largest urban school districts nationwide were automatically eligible for the 2007 Broad Prize – districts cannot apply for this award. Other finalist districts this year are: Long Beach Unified School District; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the New York City Department of Education; and Northside Independent School District in San Antonio.
Since the Broad Prize was first awarded in 2002, 604 students have received college scholarships. For more information about The Broad Prize, please visit
www.broadprize.org.
The Broad Foundation is a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropic organization established in 1999 by Eli and Edythe Broad. The Foundation’s mission is to dramatically improve K-12 urban public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition. In addition to the Broad Prize, the Foundation’s other major initiatives include The Broad Superintendents Academy, a ten-month executive management program to train working CEOs and other top executives from business, non-profit, military, government and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems; and the Broad Institute for School Boards, an annual training program for newly elected school board members designed to increase student achievement through improved governance. The Broad Foundation’s Internet address is
www.broadfoundation.org.
