La Porte ISD's Lomax Elementary School has been selected as a 2008 Just for the Kids Higher Performing School in Texas based on student performance in mathematics.  The campus was selected as higher performing based on analyses conducted by the National Center for Educational Achievement, sponsor of the Just for the Kids Campaign.

  Vicki Defee, former principal of Lomax Elementary and current principal of La Porte Junior High School, and Vickie Gentile, principal of Lomax Elementary and former assistant principal at the campus, were honored, along with other representatives of the Lomax staff, during the Feb. 10 LPISD Board of Trustees meeting.

"We are very proud of the Lomax Elementary School students and staff for earning this recognition, which was based on consistent outstanding performance in mathematics over several years," said Isela Montes, LPISD executive director of elementary education.  "The teachers, administrators and support staff at Lomax Elementary, as well as throughout the district, are committed to providing the very best education possible for their students, and this is a reflection of their ongoing commitment and hard work."

  NCEA is the national sponsor of Just for the Kids, which provides school, district and other education leaders with essential system performance and best practice information needed to make sound decisions.  NCEA identified consistently higher performing schools in many states across the country, showcasing those that exhibit outstanding performance across multiple grades and years.

Sharing insights into what makes schools successful is an important aspect of the Just for the Kids Campaign.  The organization's Core Practice Framework, built upon eight years of study of more than 500 schools across 20 states, identifies core practices important to district leaders, school leaders, and teachers.  Success stories from Higher Performing Schools may be featured on the Just for the Kids web site (http://www.just4kids.org) so that other school communities can learn from what they are doing to improve student achievement.