The Broad Prize for Urban Education

The Broad Foundation has announced that five urban school districts are finalists for the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education, an annual $1 million prize given to urban school districts that have made the greatest increases in student achievement.

The five finalists are:
Boston Public Schools
Bridgeport Public Schools, Conn.
Jersey City School District, N.J.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
New York City Department of Education

The Broad Prize honors the nation's urban school districts that improve student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low-income students. The winning district will receive $500,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors. Each finalist district will receive $125,000 in scholarships. The winner will be announced on Sept. 19 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Congratulations to everyone in those districts for their accomplishments and to the Broad Foundation for undertaking the program.

What does this have to do with rural education? Simply that there's isn't a rural equivalent to the Broad Prize. Why? I'm not sure, but it doesn't help to whine about it. Perhaps it's because no one has taken the initiative to find a foundation willing to take it on. Anybody want to take a stab at it?