[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 140 (Tuesday, October 7, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 7, 2003

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on September 22nd, 
the Long Beach Unified School District received the Broad Prize for 
Urban Education, which is awarded to the most outstanding school 
district in the country. This year the Long Beach Unified School 
District is America's Best Urban School System.
  The Long Beach Unified School District was selected from five 
national finalists by a panel of 12 national leaders in the education, 
government, business and nonprofit sectors, including Boeing CEO Phil 
Condit, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development Henry Cisneros.
  The Broad Prize for Urban Education is the largest national education 
award and is synonymous with the Nobel Prize for schools. The Prize is 
awarded annually to urban school districts making the greatest overall 
improvement in student achievement while at the same time reducing 
achievement gaps across ethnic groups and between various incomes. The 
winning district receives a cash award of $500,000 that goes towards 
scholarships for students to attend college or other post-secondary 
training.
  Throughout the year, the Long Beach Unified School District will be 
highlighted and used as a model so that districts across the country 
can learn from their success. This will allow other school districts to 
replicate Long Beach's innovative teaching and educational strategies, 
thus extending their example and impact.
  Long Beach's strength comes from their ability to evaluate and adapt 
its programs to meet the needs of specific students. This is no easy 
feat, considering that the Long Beach Unified School District is the 
third largest school district in California, serving 96,000 students. 
It also serves, according to U.S. Census, the most ethnically diverse 
city in the Nation with 46 different languages spoken by local 
students.
  I commend the hard working teachers and school administrators of Long 
Beach for their contributions and commitment to our young people. I 
also would like to recognize the parents and our community for 
supporting the Long Beach Unified School District's efforts to help 
every child reach its full potential.
  Education has always been tied to the promise of equality and 
opportunity for all and Long Beach Unified School District is an 
institution that gives every student an equal chance to succeed. 
Congratulations to the Long Beach Unified School District for this 
incredible achievement!




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