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For Immediate Release
Manatee County School District Superintendent
Receives Voyager Founder's Award
Bradenton, Florida, July 6, 2006 – Dr. Roger Dearing, superintendent of Manatee County School District in Bradenton, Florida was recognized on June 15 as the first recipient of the Founder's Award, presented by Voyager Expanded Learning®.
The Founder's Award is given to educators who, through the implementation of Voyager programs in their districts, demonstrate heroism in winning the battle to achieve unprecedented, measurable gains in moving low-performing students and schools to standard, and substantially closing the achievement gap.
Voyager representatives, Rolando Rodriguez, Florida regional president and Archie Pazos, executive director presented the award to Dr. Dearing at a gathering of more than 30 superintendents at the Florida Association of District School Superintendents Conference in Tampa. The Manatee County School District also received a $1,000 donation from Voyager as part of the award.
"It is special to receive such an award, and to be the first recipient is a humbling experience," says Dr. Dearing. "I was very grateful to have been considered, and even more elated to have been chosen. I am truly honored to be the inaugural recipient."
During summer 2005, third-graders in the School District of Manatee County who were at risk of retention increased their scores on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9), with 72 percent of students passing the standardized test compared to the previous summer's 27 percent promotion rate. Dr. Dearing attributes the improvement to the district's implementation of the Voyager Passport™ reading intervention program. "Our district achieved the greatest summer gains in the state," says Dearing. "Voyager Passport made all the difference."
The Founder's Award is given in honor of Voyager co-founder and former vice-chairman Admiral Thomas B. Hayward, U.S. Navy (ret.). One of the nation's true heroes and patriots, Admiral Hayward was the driving force behind Voyager's growth as a mission-driven company dedicated to making a difference in reading for millions of children. Admiral Hayward remains the guardian of Voyager's commitment to quality educational programs and services that deliver unprecedented results for historically low-performing students, schools, and districts. It is in his honor and in recognition of his efforts that the Voyager Founder's Award is presented to educators responsible for initiating change and increasing student achievement.
The School District of Manatee County implements Voyager's reading intervention programs, Voyager Passport and Passport Reading Journeys™, district-wide.
About Voyager Expanded Learning
Voyager Expanded Learning provides core, intervention and supplemental reading programs, as well as math intervention and ongoing professional development programs for school districts throughout the United States. Founded in 1994, Voyager has delivered extended-time reading and basic skills intervention programs as well as large-scale reading programs to more than 900 school districts in cities such as Dallas, Phoenix, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, resulting in dramatically improved student performance. Voyager Expanded Learning, Inc. is part of ProQuest Education, a business segment of ProQuest Company, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.voyagerlearning.com or call 1-888-399-1995.
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