PRESS RELEASE

Attention: Local News/ Education News

For release: November 12, 2009

Contact: Sandy Davis, Principal, 505 467-1702

Turquoise Trail Charter School

 Charter School Leader Named Principal of the Year

Sandy Davis, Principal of Turquoise Trail Charter School, has garnered the “Principal of the Year” Constellation Award at the New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools annual conference in Albuquerque. Ms. Davis was nominated by teachers, parents and community supporters of the school. She received her recognition at the Coalition’s awards ceremony on November 12.

In the nomination letter submitted in August, Ms. Davis was cited for her leadership in developing the school’s reputation as “an excellent, stimulating, and stable learning environment” and as “one of the most respected and desirable schools in the Santa Fe District.” The nominating letter described Ms. Davis as “beloved by staff, students and parents.”

The nomination offers evidence to support Ms. Davis’ achievements. It cites a Stanford University study finding that Turquoise Trail is outperforming its district school counterparts. Only six of the fifty-five New Mexico schools in the Stanford study received that rating. The school was also cited in August as having met stringent federal standards for adequate yearly progress. Four of Santa Fe’s twenty-nine public schools achieved that designatio

Prior to assuming the leadership of Turquoise Trail in 2001, Ms. Davis was the founding Principal of Davis Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia. During her successful ten year term there, the school was recognized in as a National School of Excellence by President Bill Clinton at a White House ceremony in 1993. In all, Ms. Davis has forty years of experience in public education.

The New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools provides technical support and advocacy for the eighty-one charter schools now operating in the state. Founded in 2002, the non-profit Coalition holds an annual conference at which professional development is offered, instructional and administrative strategies are shared, and the accomplishments of the most outstanding member schools are highlighted. This year’s conference took place November 12-14 at the Isleta Convention Center south of Albuquerque.

Four hundred and sixty-five students attend kindergarten through sixth grade at Turquoise Trail and thirty students are enrolled in a pre-kindergarten program. The school is located on Highway 14 in rural Santa Fe County. As a charter school, Turquoise Trail exercises independent control of its curriculum development, hires its teachers and other staff, and manages its own finances. All of New Mexico’s charter schools are public schools funded by the state and federal government.