Lakeville Elementary honored by Project Tomorrow as Speak Up 100 School
Recognized for using Speak Up 2006 data in Educational Decision Making

Apopka, Florida May 7, 2007 -- Project Tomorrow, formerly NetDay (www.tomorrow.org), the national education nonprofit group, announced the selection of Lakeville Elementary as a Speak Up 100 School. Speak Up 100 schools represent the top schools working to encourage and involve student, parent and teacher voice in education planning and decision-making.

Lakeville Elementary received the Speak Up 100 recognition along with elementary, middle and high schools in rural, suburban and urban communities from the Department of Defense and 22 different states. These schools are selected for this national distinction from the 10,000 schools nationwide that have participated in the annual Speak Up surveys since 2003.

Over 450 parents, students and teachers participated in Speak Up 2006. This information is being used to heighten awareness of online safety and integrate this knowledge with the anti-bullying program.

In making the announcement Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, noted, “The Speak Up 100 schools offer powerful examples of the ways in which educators are using stakeholder input to drive new ideas and innovation in education and technology within their schools and districts. I am inspired and impressed by the multiple ways in which educational institutions are leveraging student views in their planning process and improving the learning environment. “

Across the nation, Speak Up 100 schools are using the data from the online Speak Up surveys to develop strategic plans, enhance and change curriculum, determine professional development needs and make funding decisions.

As a designated Speak Up 100 school, Lakeville Elementary will be prominently featured on Project Tomorrow’s website http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_100.html and will receive special recognition from Project Tomorrow including a unique Speak Up 100 logo to use on our school and district websites. Project Tomorrow is tapping into the expertise of this year’s Speak Up 100 schools to develop new questions for their Speak Up 2007 survey which will open October 1st. Additionally, Project Tomorrow will share the impact stories from the Speak Up 100 schools with its national partners and other organizations and agencies interested in the impact of student voices on education and technology policies and programs.

Speak Up 2006 was made possible through the support of AT&T Foundation, Dell, Inc., William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Advanced Network & Services.

ABOUT SPEAK UP

NetDay-Speak Up is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org), a national education nonprofit group based in Irvine, California. Project Tomorrow was formed from the merger of NetDay, a national education technology nonprofit with a Southern California based science education nonprofit group in September 2005. The vision of Project Tomorrow is to insure that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world. The organization believes that by supporting the innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in our K-12 schools and communities, students will develop the critical thinking, problem solving and creativity skills needed to compete and thrive in the 21st century.

Since 2003, Speak Up has surveyed over 857,000 K-12 students, their teachers and parents representing over 10,000 schools in all 50 states through an annual online survey event held each fall. The Speak Up data represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder input on education, technology, 21st century skills, and math and science instruction, and the data is used regularly by education, business and policy leaders to inform federal, state and local education programs.

Last updated6-27-07

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