New York City wins Broad Prize

The New York City Department of Education won the 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the largest education prize in the United States, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today. New York City has been a finalist for the Broad Prize for the past two years.

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings joined philanthropist Eli Broad at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to announce the winner. The $1 million Broad (rhymes with "road") Prize is an annual award that honors large urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students. The money goes directly to graduating high school seniors for college scholarships.

As the winner of the Broad Prize, the New York City Department of Education will receive $500,000 in college scholarships. The four finalists--Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut, Long Beach Unified School District in California, Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida, and the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas--will each receive $125,000 in college scholarships.

For further information, visit the Broad Foundation's website.