U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr., announced the 2016 National Blue Ribbon Schools yesterday. From the list of 329 schools across the nation, two Young Women’s Preparatory Network’s (YWPN) schools received the illustrious Blue Ribbon distinction: Margaret Talkington School for Young Women Leaders in Lubbock and Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) in Fort Worth. These Texas schools join an esteemed list that includes its sister schools, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and Young Women’s Leadership Academy in San Antonio—both of which received this honor in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
The Texas Education Agency nominated the schools, which then completed an extensive application reviewed by the U.S. Department of Education to select the winners nationally. In Texas, only 29 schools received this award, with two being YWPN schools.
In a video message, King said to the honorees, “National Blue Ribbon Schools are proof that we can prepare every child for college and meaningful careers. Your schools are on the cutting edge, pioneering innovative educational practices—professional learning communities, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, positive behavior systems—making you shining examples for your communities, your state and the nation.”
Lynn McBee, Young Women’s Preparatory Network CEO, said, “Our schools often receive high marks from The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek, and we’re proud that two more of our schools have received this significant award. I applaud the principals, Berta Fogerson in Lubbock and Tamara Albury in Fort Worth, for leading their schools and students to achieve high educational standards with a culture of excellence.”
Berta Fogerson, Talkington principal, and Tamara Albury, YWLA principal, will represent their respective schools at an awards ceremony in November in Washington, D.C.
For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, visit https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov
Founded in 2002 in Dallas, Young Women’s Preparatory Network is a nonprofit agency that operates the largest network of all-girls, public, college preparatory schools in the nation of its kind in Texas. The eight network schools represent more than 4,600 students in grades 6 to 12. About 68% of the students are from economically disadvantaged households, and 68% are the first in their families to attend college. In 2016, YWPN’s 291 graduates received offers of more than $41.9 million in academic and merit scholarships and have matriculated to 115 different colleges and universities.
For more information about Young Women’s Preparatory Network, visit https://youngwomensprep.org.
