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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY PRESENTING NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 30 DECEMBER 2 IN BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI; MORE THAN 525 EXPECTED TO ATTEND EVENTS AT BEAU RIVAGE RESORT AND CASINO FORT LAUDERDALE, FL- With only a few days to go before its first event, more than 500 public school principals, lead teachers, and faculty teams have already signed up for the National Blue Ribbon Schools Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi November 30 December 2, at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino. Presented by Nova Southeastern University's Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services, educators from across the country will converge on Biloxi to discover how to achieve the coveted "Blue Ribbon School" status. The prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award is presented by the United States Department of Education to approximately 250 elementary schools every other year and approximately 200 middle and secondary schools in the alternate years. Winning schools must go through an extensive application and review process and meet a long list of high standards and criteria. NSU's Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services established the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Institute -- the first of its kind in the United States --to drive an international school-improvement movement. This initiative uses practical programs, concepts, and ideas that have been successful. Working alongside the U.S. Department of Education, the National Blue Ribbon process is a comprehensive approach that works for schools that have reached a high level of success and desire to fine-tune their programs to serve as national models; schools that plan to use the criteria from the Blue Ribbon Schools process as a comprehensive framework for identifying areas that need improvement; schools that have challenging demographics, and need a starting point and a climate of assessment, discussion, and problem solving; and districts and states that desire to reenergize their school community, bringing a sense of pride, confidence, focus, and shared agenda for change and improvement. This week's National Blue Ribbon Schools Conference will feature three days of workshops, speakers, and entertainment. Attendees will have a choice of more than 35 various workshops throughout the event, and will hear from such speakers as Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.), United States Department of Education Principal-in-Residence Carole Kennedy (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.), Mississippi's Superintendent of Education Richard Thompson (Friday, 7:00 p.m.), and United States Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley (Friday, 7:00 p.m.). NASA will also provide a tour of its John C. Stennis Space Center on Saturday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. The conference will feature a reception in the Beau Rivage Pavilion/Special Event Area on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., the Blue Ribbon Gala at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and the "Christmas on the Water" Boat Parade at 7 p.m., Saturday. Nova Southeastern University, with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is the largest independent institution of higher education in the southeast United States and is among the 20 largest independent institutions nationally. Since its founding in 1964, NSU has been a pioneer of non traditional approaches to quality higher education. The Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services is one of the largest accredited graduate schools of education in the United States, with more than 8,000 students and 23,000 graduates. The FGSEHS offers associate's, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of specializations, as well as non degree professional and staff development programs, in personalized formats and at times and locations convenient to the student, including more than 50 cities in 22 states and eight foreign countries. The Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Institute is located on the FGSEHS campus. To find out more about the NSU Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Institute or the upcoming National Blue Ribbon Schools Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi, contact Tiffany Bedran or Bart Teal at (954) 262-8758 or 800-986-3223, ext. 28758. MEDIA NOTE: Members of the media are invited to all Blue
Ribbon sessions, including Thursday's 7 p.m. reception at the Beau Rivage;
Friday's morning visits to local schools Magnolia Park Elementary and
Taconi Elementary, and 6:30 p.m. Blue Ribbon Gala; and Saturday's trip
to the John C. Stennis Space Center. Please RSVP to Mike Laderman, NSU's
associate director of public affairs, who will be the on-site contact
for all media. He can be reached throughout the conference on his cell
phone at (954) 612-4350 or beeper at 888-338-3670. Prior to--or after--the
conference, he can be reached at |