Academy In Newark awarded Blue Ribbon School designation
Robert Treat Academy was naemd a 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by U.S. Secretary of Educaton Margaret Spellings on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The award recognizes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
The No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatics gains in student achievement to high levels.
Robert Treat Academy was awarded the Blue Ribbon based on the academic superiority criteria.
Robert Treat Academy, a public charter school in Newark, serves 450 urban students in grades kindergarten through eight.
A lottery system is utilized to select students, 96 percent of whom are Hispanic or African American.
The Academy was founded by Stephen N. Adubato, executive director of The North Ward Center.
"Receiving this award is an honor for Robert Treat Academy but it is also an affirmation of what we believed when we created the Academy - that urban minority students can be successful if given the tools they need by people who believe in their ability to achieve, " said Adubato.
Principal Michael A. Pallante has served as the school's educational leader since 1998.
"We received this award because a group of committed people worked towards a common goal. Together, we proved that urban students can achieve academic success," said Principal Pallante.
Since it began participating in New Jersey's statewide testing program, the students of the Academy have consistently achieved high levels of proficiency.
Based on the NJ ASK test, administered to students in grades three through eight, the academy has been named the number one urban school in New Jersey and ranks in the top 10 percent of schools overall.
It was this outstanding academic achivement which prompted the New Jersey Department of Education to nominate the Academy as a Blue Ribbon School in the category of academic superiority.
