2:01pm | The school district announced Friday that one of its elementary schools has been tapped to receive the Panasonic National School Change Award.

Long Beach Unified School District spokesman Chris Eftychiou said in a May 6 e-mail that the award is given to schools that “show significant, multiyear gains in student achievement. 

Awarded by the National Principals Leadership Institute in New York City in conjunction with the American Association of School Administrators, the award is being given to just six schools nationwide. Lafayette Elementary School is one of two from California. 
 
The other schools are Moorhead Junior High in Conroe, Texas; School of International Business at Kearny Complex in San Diego; Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, S.C.; Arkansas City Middle School in Arkansas; and Mableton Elementary School in Mableton Ga. 
 
According to information provided by the National Principals Leadership Institute, nominated schools measure themselves against 16 specific criteria and identify the degree to which they have improved, grown and significantly changed. A team of 10 to 12 judges, including teachers, principals, superintendents, professors, former awardees, panasonic officials and others then reviews each finalist.

Eftychiou said that Lafayette’s test scores have grown from the 500 range to well beyond the state’s target of 800 in just a few years,.

e school’s fifth-grade math proficiency surpasses the state average by 13 percentage points, despite significant poverty and language challenges,” he said.  

The roughly 900-student campus is located at 2445 Chestnut Ave.  

Each awardee receives a school ceremony to be held either this month or in June; $5,000, including Panasonic products; national recognition; subsidized participation of the school’s principal in the 14th annual National Principals Leadership Institute in New York City in July; an awards presentation by the United States Department of Education at a special July ceremony; participation in a major national research project focusing school change, according to the institute.

PNSCA founder and Director Dr. Lew Smith, who also founded and heads the National Principals Leadership Institute, will visit each winning school to attend their respective local ceremonies. A national awards ceremony is set for July 11 in New York City, where all 14 finalists and six awardees will be recognized.