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news release
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
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Contact: Erica Lepping, 310-954-5053
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LOS ANGELES – The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today it has awarded $2 million in college scholarships to 111 graduating high school seniors whose school districts were recognized last year as the most improved urban school districts in the country.
The scholarships were awarded to students in school districts that were finalists for the 2008 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the largest education prize in the country, given each year to urban school districts thatdemonstrate 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 winner of the 2008 Broad Prize was Brownsville Public Schools in Texas, which received $1 million in scholarships. The finalist districts that each received $250,000 in scholarships were the Aldine IndependentSchool District in Houston, Broward County Public Schools in Florida, the Long Beach Unified School District in California, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
“The best investment we can make in this economy is in our young people's minds, skills and workforce preparedness,†said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, a national education philanthropy based in Los Angeles that sponsors the scholarships. “These students have demonstrated remarkable academic improvement in their high school years, and we look forward to their continued success in college and beyond.Ââ€
Unlike most 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.
Broad Prize scholars receive two- or four-year scholarships depending on the type of institution they choose to attend. Scholarship recipients who enroll in four-year institutions receive $20,000 paid out over four years ($5,000 per year). Students who enroll in two-year institutions receive $5,000 scholarships paid out over two years ($2,500 per year). The scholarship selection and disbursement process is managed by Scholarship and Recognition Programs, a unit of Educational Testing Service.
A full list of this year's scholarship recipients by school district is available on www.broadprize.org.
Since The Broad Prize was first awarded in 2002, more than 825 students nationwide have received college scholarships.
One hundred of the largest urban school districts nationwide are automatically considered for The Broad Prize each year. Districts cannot apply for this award. To be selected as one of five finalists, a district must demonstrate strong student academic performance and improvement, a reduction in income and ethnic achievement gaps and systemic district policies and practices leading to gains.
The winner of the 2009 Broad Prize will be announced on Sept. 16 by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This year's finalists are: Aldine in Houston; Broward County, Fla.; Gwinnett County outside Atlanta; Long Beach, Calif., and Socorro in El Paso, Texas.
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a national venture philanthropy established by entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad to advance entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science and the arts. The Broad Foundation's education work is focused on dramatically improving urban K-12 public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition. The Broad Foundation's Internet address is www.broadfoundation.org.
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