DMPS Inaugural Recipient of DA’s Districts of Distinction Award
A second national publication in as many months has recognized the good work being done at Des Moines Public Schools.
DMPS is one of the inaugural recipients of the Districts of Distinction award, a new honor for the nation’s school districts presented by District Administration magazine.
District Administration is a monthly publication that covers current trends and pressing issues in the American education system along with emerging technologies and leadership issues for district-level administrators.
DMPS was among the awardees for the work being done through the district’s Student First program, an effort to renovate and upgrade school facilities throughout all of Des Moines. In particular, the magazine was impressed with the energy efficiency efforts that have been a part of our school renovation projects which have led to millions of dollars in utility cost savings.
According to the magazine, the honorees were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted from around the country. The selected districts are of various sizes and demographics representing 28 states.
The projects recognized in this inaugural round of Districts of Distinction awards represent a variety of school district initiatives, such as increasing graduation rates, serving students with special needs, strengthening academics by improving technology in the classroom, creating green facilities or improving leadership strategies.
A team of District Administration editors reviewed submitted projects through two rounds of judging. Nominees were ranked on the clarity of a district’s challenge, how innovative or homegrown the solution was, and how strong the results were in terms of data and newsworthiness. The winning solutions were also selected based on replicability to inspire their peers to create effective solutions for their own challenges.
DMPS is one of the featured honorees in the magazine’s November issue. In their article about DMPS, they note “Over its first five years, that dependable revenue stream has supported a flood of innovative school renovations focused on energy efficiency and environmental stewardship in all of the city’s neighborhoods.”
District Administration also notes the increase in the number of Energy Star-certified buildings at DMPS, a $2 million drop in utility costs over the past five years, the increasing use of geothermal to heat and cool schools, and the tripling of the amount of recycling.
Click here for more information about the award and to read the magazine’s article about DMPS.
Last month, the National Journal – a magazine about policy and politics based in Washington, DC – wrote an article titled “Why Des Moines Can Be A Model for Urban Education,” about how student achievement and graduation rates are increasing at a time of changing demographics.
