(By Suzanne Schenkel - Special Correspondent)
The state superintendent of public instruction lauded the achievement record of students in the Rowland Unified School District. Calling the District the "best of the best," he also recognized district employees for the successful strategies they have adopted.
Specifically citing statistics from Giano Intermediate School -- as one where 80 percent of the students do not speak English as their at-home language, where 86 percent of the students participate in free and reduced lunch programs and where 48 percent of the students' parents are not high school graduates -- Jack O'Connell applauded the rise in Academic Performance index scores there from 598 in 2001 to the more recent score of 725.
Speaking to about 2,000 teachers administrators and site staff on "Back to the Future: Preparing All Students to Succeed in a Global Economy," O'Connell said Rowland Unified is setting the high bar in preparing the next generation of California's leaders for success. His comments came at Industry Hills Exo Center during a back-to-school kick-off celebration.
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