Broadway Elementary in Venice Receives Title I Academic Achievement Award

Broadway Elementary School in Venice was one of 117 schools statewide recently awarded with a Title I Academic Achievement Award.

The award is given only to schools receiving Title I funds, a federal program to help students living at or below the poverty line with their educational needs.

“What an honor this is for Broadway. The improvement in student achievement is a result of everyone's teamwork. Students, teachers, parents, and administrators worked as a team to provide students the academic support that they needed,” said Broadway Elementary principal Susan Wang in a statement released this week. “We are a schoolwide Title I school with a large number of English Learners, and the students deserve to be recognized.”

The school's Academic Performance Index, a statewide accountability measurement, has grown by more than 120 points since Wang arrived at Broadway in 2008.

There were nine other Los Angeles Unified School District schools and seven independent charter schools that also were recognized with the Academic Achievement Award. Broadway Elementary was the only school in the LAUSD's District 3, which includes Venice, Del Rey, Crenshaw, Palisades and Westchester communities.

There are more than 9,000 schools in California and more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program.

"The progress being made at these schools, which serve our neediest students, should serve as a beacon of hope for California. At a time of fiscal crisis and economic uncertainty, they continue to improve, building a brighter future for their students," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement when the awards were announced. "Their accomplishments prove the value of investing in our schools, and I thank the hardworking parents, teachers, administrators and school employees at these campuses for their efforts."

To meet the criteria for the award distinction, schools must meet all yearly progress targets, as well as the school-wide API target and the target for significant subgroups. In addition, the school's socio-economically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two straight years.

Wang will attend an awards ceremony later this month for the Title I Achieving Schools.

Broadway launched a Mandarin and English Duel-Language Immersion Program in September 2010. It is the largest Mandarin Immersion Program on the Westside.