Asst. principal picked for Milken award

BRISTOL, R.I. (WPRI) - A lot of people appreciate the job Jaime Crowley is doing. The assistant principal at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol got a major honor for educators Tuesday morning from the Milken Family Foundation: the 2009 Milken Educator Award.

Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri and the state's education commissioner, Deborah Gist, presented Crowley with the award in a surprise ceremony. The award includes a check for $25,000.

Gov. Carcieri said in the release that Crowley is good at honing in on students who need encouragement -- by using testing data. "Using assessment results to identify the needs of students who are in danger of dropping out, he worked with faculty to address current needs of at-risk students while improving incoming freshmen’s understanding of high-school-level expectations...

"The results have been impressive, with a lower dropout rate, higher graduation rate, and increasing test scores."

The Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education also expressed their gratitude. "Every school must have highly effective leadership in order to be a high-performing learning community," said the board's vice-chair Patrick A. Guida. "He understands the importance of listening to other perspectives, he mentors students who are at risk, teachers respond to his energy, and students like him and trust him."