DANVERS — Essex Tech is one of nearly 100 schools in the country to be recognized as a Distinguished School by a national organization for exceptional student achievement.
The National Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s (ESEA) Distinguished Schools Program highlights qualifying federally-funded schools for making significant improvements for their students.
Schools earn the designation for excellence in specific categories, with Essex Tech being honored for expanding Title I services to offer reading, writing, and mathematics support for students in grades nine and 10.
“At Essex Tech, we believe that every student has the potential to succeed both academically and in their chosen technical pathway,” Superintendent Heidi Riccio said. “Our faculty and staff embraced that vision, and have worked to offer students an authentic, supportive learning experience where all are able to grow. The proof is in our success. Because we are inclusive, Essex Tech students leave with all the skills they need to be hired in high-demand jobs upon graduation.”
Riccio and Essex Tech Principal Shannon Donnelly said some of the reasons for this achievement include the special-education teachers who were content specialists that replaced paraprofessionals, and were paired with their content counterparts in a grade-level academy model; the teachers who developed new approaches and employed research-based best practices; and teachers stressing and reinforcing how advanced skills in math, English, and science are important to students’ chosen career fields.
“We identified students who needed additional support, and by increasing our focus on applied critical thinking and problem solving, our students gained new skills and increased confidence,” Donnelly said. “You can see it in the students’ faces as you walk through classrooms and program areas.”
The ESEA provides additional resources for vulnerable students and federal grants to state educational agencies to improve the quality of public elementary and secondary education.
