[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               HONORING LONG BEACH'S BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

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                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2000

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two outstanding middle 
schools in my district, Charles Evans Hughes Middle School and Will 
Rogers Middle School of Long Beach. Both have been recognized by the 
California Department of Education as California Blue Ribbon Schools, 
for their demonstrated excellence in student achievement, teacher 
quality, and community and family involvement. These schools are now 
eligible to be named as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. 
Department of Education.
  Both Hughes and Rogers Middle Schools have overcome a number of 
challenges. Both are urban schools with a significant number of low-
income and limited English proficient students. Even with these 
challenges, both schools have demonstrated remarkable progress. Ten 
years ago, Rogers had some of the lowest test scores in the Long Beach 
Unified School District. Today, it is consistently among the top five 
middle schools in the district. At Hughes, 10 percent of the student 
body earns straight A's, and 75 percent have GPA's of 2.0 or above.
  At both schools, teachers undergo regular professional training and 
both host a number of events designed to bring the community and the 
students together.
  These two schools demonstrate all that is right with public 
education. They show the remarkable successes that happen when 
teachers, parents and students are committed to a superior standard of 
education. I congratulate the faculty, teachers, parents and students 
of Hughes and Rogers Middle Schools on this remarkable achievement, and 
wish them well in their continued pursuit of educational excellence.

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