[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S11184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LANCASTER PUBLIC SCHOOL, LANCASTER, MINNESOTA

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I honor Lancaster Public 
School, in Lancaster, MN, which will soon receive an Award for 
Excellence in Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements 
in educating children.
  Lancaster Public School is truly a model of educational success. 
Members of the staff, who understand that not all children learn the 
same way or at the same rate but that all children are capable of 
learning, work hard to personalize Lancaster's learning environment to 
ensure that every student's educational needs are met. To achieve this 
goal, the staff uses a variety of instructional strategies to 
accommodate individual learning styles. The result is a creative 
learning environment that is flexible, innovative, and highly 
successful.
  Lancaster Public School has been recognized by Standard & Poor's 
School Evaluation Services as a district that outperformed 
demographically similar school districts in reading and math 
proficiency for 4 the past 4 school years. Lancaster Public School is 1 
of only 10 school districts in Minnesota that have attained this 
status. This achievement is particularly impressive because Lancaster 
is the smallest school in the group, with only 212 students in grades 
kindergarten through grade 12, and the most economically disadvantaged 
with 59.9 percent of the students qualifying for free and reduced 
lunch.
  Lancaster Public School District has been recognized by the Minnesota 
Department of Education for making adequate yearly progress for the 
past 3 years. The school's high achievement on the Minnesota 
Comprehensive Assessment tests has earned both the elementary and 
secondary schools a five-star rating from the State Department of 
Education in reading.
  Much of the credit for Lancaster Public School's success belongs to 
its principal, Bradley Homstad, and the dedicated teachers. The 
students and staff at Lancaster Public School understand that, in order 
to be successful, a school must go beyond achieving academic success; 
it must also provide a nurturing environment where students can develop 
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for success throughout life. All 
of the faculty, staff, and students at Lancaster Public School should 
be very proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate Lancaster Public School in Lancaster for winning the 
Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional contributions 
to education in Minnesota.

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