SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 22, 2006 — Sixteen elementary and secondary schools across the United States were honored today as recipients of the 2006 Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards. Sponsored by Intel Corporation, the world’s leader in silicon innovation and long-time champion of educational improvement, and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, the annual awards program honors schools for implementing innovative and replicable programs that support positive educational outcomes and impact student achievement.

The Schools of Distinction Awards bring national attention to best practices in education. The innovative programs currently in place in the 16 winning schools include a Sci-Tech lab, which offers the opportunity to explore science and technology though hands-on experiments; a team-oriented educational environment that prepares immigrant parents to assist children and teachers in the classroom; and implementation of a school-wide application, which combines classroom and collaborative learning with software to enhance mathematics achievement.