Four schools designated National Blue Ribbon Schools

Four Connecticut public schools were awarded the National Blue Ribbon distinction, , which recognizes high performance or success in closing achievement gaps. The awards were announced Tuesday.

This year, 325 schools across the country were recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools, 302 of which are public schools.

In Connecticut, newly named Blue Ribbon schools Frisbie Elementary School in Wolcott and Northwestern Regional High School, which serves Barkhamsted, Colebrook, New Hartford and Norfolk, were applauded for their “exemplary high” performance. Andrew Avenue Elementary and Thames River Magnet School both received recognition for their gap closing efforts.

“Connecticut’s public school teachers are the best in the United States, and the tools they are providing our youngest residents will enable them to achieve success throughout their careers,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “Every child — no matter their family’s income or the neighborhood where they are being raised — deserves access to a quality education that prepares them for achievement. There’s no doubt that we must continue on our mission to close persistent achievement gaps that have lingered for far too long, but I firmly believe that the strong work of so many of our educators is having an impact.”

Frisbie Elementary School

Frisbie Elementary School, which serves about 260 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, has been named a School of Distinction for four back-to-back years.

The school is noted for creating innovative approaches to support student reasoning. A problem-solving strategy called “bee a problem solver,” lays out five steps to problem-solving: identify the problem, make a plan, try it, critique your work, and fix mistakes, the release says. Another technique, “accountable talk,” helps students “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others,” a key skill assessed on the Smarter Balanced mathematics assessment.

Northwestern Regional High School

The Region 7 high school teaches over 600 students and about five towns in the state “use this school as a designated high school, and its award-winning agricultural education program attracts students from many others,” the release said.

The high school targets ninth graders and tracks their grades to predict on-time graduation and college enrollment. Northwestern also helps students transition into high school through a leadership program called Link Crew and a program called “Kindness in Motion” which “empowers students and staff to design and implement projects that spread kindness within and beyond their community.”

Andrew Avenue Elementary

The Naugatuck elementary school teaches about 225 students from kindergarten to fourth grade, with over 70% of students from “economically disadvantaged families.”

“Andrew Avenue educators take a trauma-informed approach to everything they do, paying attention to the needs of all learners and their families,” the news release said. “The district has emphasized instructional routines and consistent use of technology across all schools. Andrew Avenue staff have implemented this with fidelity so that students and their families know what to expect and vertical collaboration within the school can be optimized.”

The school uses a program called “RULER” which stands for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions.

“As a result of RULER, students have learned to express themselves more effectively, become more confident, and are more likely to persevere through difficult tasks,” the release said. “The simultaneous attention to academic and social and emotional learning enables continued academic growth resulting in Andrew Avenue Elementary earning School of Distinction status for two consecutive years.”

Thames River Magnet School

Thames River Magnet School teaches pre-k through fifth grade students with half of its enrollment from military families.

“Given the challenges associated with a highly mobile student body, the entire school community works to support students through transitions,” the release said. “The school partnered with the Military School Liaison Officer to implement the Anchored4life program. Through this program, student leaders work with their peers to develop confidence and resiliency together. Ultimately, the program benefits military and civilian children by developing an increased sense of connectedness to each other and the broader community.”

All four schools had to complete an application process and were approved by the country’s Department of Education. The selected Connecticut schools were Schools of Distinction for at least two years.

For more information about the program, visit www2.ed.gov/programs/ nclbbrs/index.html.