Clarendon Elementary Earns A+ Grade from AEF

PHOENIX - June 17, 2009 - By its own admission, Clarendon Elementary is a study in contrasts to the neighborhood which surrounds it - Phoenix's Central Avenue Corridor.

Clarendon school busses crisscross this major employment center featuring economic development, the highest concentration of office space in Metropolitan Phoenix and a regional light rail system.

So it came as little surprise when the AEF named Clarendon Elementary, 1225 W. Clarendon Ave., as one of its 17 Arizona A+ Schools for 2009, right?

Well, not so fast!

While the surrounding Central Corridor serves as a symbol of Valley commerce, statistics indicate Clarendon's students are not reaping the benefits. According to the 2003 Census, nearly 82-percent of Clarendon's students live below the poverty level. The school's own profile of its 441 students reveals:

• 41 students are immigrants from eight countries
• 24 students are refugees from 16 countries
• 187 students speak a language other than English, with 18-percent having limited English proficiency
• The school features a student mobility rate of 42-percent
• 18 Clarendon students were considered homeless

Clarendon reports it has overcome many of these obstacles by developing a culture of "collaboration and kindness," at the Grade 4-6 School. That culture was praised by the AEF A+ Schools judges.

"There is a calm, respectful, supportive environment (that) makes the kids feel cared for and loved," wrote one of the judges. Another judge praised Principal Sandra Menko for being "...very open to collaboration" and said she "...models this in decisions and in daily leadership of the building and community."

The school's application to AEF also notes that it benefits from its unique 4 th through 6 th grade span: "We tap into the hopefulness of this age group and empower them to act strategically to attain their goals. We expect them to accept responsibility for their own success and carefully plan opportunities for them to do so - with their learning, their relationships and their behavior."

Clarendon Elementary will maintain its A+ designation for three years.

According to the AEF website, azedfoundation.org, the A+ program celebrates education and brings to light the positive stories and successes happening in public schools every day. Created in 1983, the program's stated purpose is threefold:

• To identify and publicly recognize outstanding public schools in Arizona ;
• To make available a comprehensive framework of key criteria for school effectiveness that can serve as a basis for participatory self-assessment and planning in schools;
• To facilitate communication and sharing of best practices within and among schools based on common criteria related to success.

In order to be recognized as an A+ school, each school must submit an application providing demographic information, a description of current programs and practices, documentation of parent and community involvement, a profile of the school principal and his/her vision of the commitment to excellence, equity, service; and sustained high achievement or significant improvement in assessment. The winning schools are recognized for their superior ability to meet the needs of their student populations.

The AEF A+ School Recognition Program is sponsored by APS, The Arizona Republic, Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, Safeway and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. To learn more about the AEF A+ School Recognition Program, please visit, http://www.azedfoundation.org/school-recogition-program.php.