Sixteen Florida schools, including two in Hillsborough County, have received NCLB-Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education. They are Bevis Elementary in Lithia (shown left) and Hillel School of Tampa.

"These Blue Ribbon Schools are an example of what teachers and students can achieve," U.S. education secretary Margaret Spellings said in a press release. "Now our challenge is to help other schools follow their lead by continuing to measure progress through No Child Left Behind, and by using the knowledge we've gained to replicate effective strategies and help every student improve."

Schools that receive the honor meet one of the two following criteria:

• At least 40 percent of their students are from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; or,
• Students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or, in the case of private schools, in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally normed tests.

To see the full list of 320 winners, click here.

*