56 U.S. Schools Named Finalists for 21St Century Schools of Distinction Award; More than $200,000 to be Ultimately Awarded to 20 Winning Schools.

Business Editors/Education Writers/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2004

Fifty-six schools today were named finalists for the 21st Century Schools of Distinction Awards. They will compete for more than $200,000 in grants from the Intel Foundation.

Intel Corporation and Scholastic Administr@tor magazine, leaders in technology and education, have teamed with the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Foundation to develop this new award program to honor schools for implementing innovative and replicable programs that support positive educational outcomes. This program will highlight successes of the nation's best schools and celebrate their use of technology, the benefits of strong teamwork and their development of excellent classroom teachers.

"It is important to recognize the achievements of our nation's schools are not always solely measured by test scores," said Bernadette Grey, editor-in-chief of Scholastic Administr@tor magazine, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company. "These awards are uncovering great new ideas for creating partnerships, working with parents, and a host of other significant innovations that can lead to a better school experience for our children and, ultimately, to improved academic performance."

"The 21st Century Schools of Distinction Awards finalists are…