Laurel Hill Elementary named North Carolina Real D.E.A.L. School

Governor Mike Easley announced that Laurel Hill Elementary School is one of 15 North Carolina Real D.E.A.L. award winners for 2008..

Real D.E.A.L. schools are honored not just for outstanding student achievement, but also for excellent teacher working conditions. Real D.E.A.L. schools have taken a leading role in using feedback from the Teacher Working Conditions Survey to empower teachers and encourage student success. According to data from the latest survey, Real D.E.A.L. schools are committed to involving teachers in decision-making and providing planning time and professional development opportunities that teachers need to build their knowledge and skills. The winning schools represent the diverse demographics of the schools in our state.

The 15 winners were recognized Thursday at the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Conference in Cary. At the conference, staff from the 15 Real D.E.A.L. schools made presentations about best practices and successful strategies employed in their school.

On hand to receive the award from Governor-Elect Bev Perdue were Principal Cindy Goodman, Angela Purcell and Amy Sloop from the school’s faculty, Scotland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shirley Prince and Scotland County Board of Education member Darwin Williams.

“This award is a nice affirmation of what we do everyday,” said Goodman. “As a principal, the most important thing I can do is to hire good teachers, support them, and keep them happy. Every single day I am grateful for the wonderful teachers at Laurel Hill Elementary and the outstanding job they do.”

“When I came to Laurel Hill, the thing that struck me the most were the quality programs that the school has in place to inspire and excite students,” said the school’s media specialist Katie Rohleder. “The music programs, author visits, special programming and the celebrations (of student success) amazed me and made me realize what a truly special place Laurel Hill is.”

To be eligible for this award, schools must have scored at or above the state average on each of the factors in the 2008 Teacher Working Conditions Survey (Leadership, Time, Empowerment, Professional Development, Facilities & Resources), have met or exceed growth on the 2007-2008 state ABC testing model and have met Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind guidelines.

A complete report on the results of the 2008 Teacher Working Conditions Survey compiled by the New Teacher Center at the University of California in Santa Cruz will be available at www.ncteachingconditions.org in January 2009.