Burbank – Education Through Music-LA partner schools were proud to receive awards from California State, including the Gold Ribbon and Exemplary Arts Awards. CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced the winning Gold Ribbon Award Recipients on April 13, 2016, which included Providencia Elementary, McKinley and Washington Elementary in Burbank.
Thirty-eight of the 779 Gold Ribbon Award schools also received Exemplary Program Awards in Arts, Physical Education or Nutrition. Providencia and Washington Elementary were among the 38 to be recipients of the double honor, with Providencia also receiving a Title 1 Academic Achievement Award. “These schools shine as bright beacons for others, putting forth an exemplary effort to ensure that every student is ready for 21st century college and careers,” Torlakson said. “California teachers are developing an education model for the nation, training the students of today to be the problem-solvers, inventors, and pioneers of tomorrow.”According to the California Department of Education, the California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment and accountability systems. Nearly 6,000 elementary schools were eligible to apply this year. The Exemplary Program Awards were created in 2013 to recognize schools carrying out goals in the Blueprint for Great Schools.