Sixteen elementary and secondary schools across the United States were honored 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. To honor their extraordinary commitment to educational excellence and innovation, each school will receive a $10,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation and a host of prizes ranging from curriculum materials and professional development resources to software and hardware. Representatives from the winning schools will attend an awards gala in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 5 at which one elementary and one secondary school from this year's 16 honorees will be named "Best of the Best." These two winners will each receive an additional $15,000 grant from the Intel Foundation. Schools winning this award must have a comprehensive program addressing technology, involvement of parents and the community, professional development and teamwork, and consistent achievement of high academic standards. "The winning schools serve as shining examples of academic excellence. They've implemented creative and innovative programs to further student learning in areas from mathematics, to science, to literacy, while infusing technology into lesson plans and using real world examples to motivate students," said Brenda Musilli, director of worldwide education, Intel. "We hope to inspire educators and bring about improved learning by highlighting these exceptional schools." Francie Alexander, Scholastic's chief academic officer, added, "Scholastic applauds these 16 schools for developing and implementing innovative and sustainable programs that encourage the highest level of student achievement. By bringing national recognition to these schools, we hope to share best practices and help other schools across the country replicate this success." Winning elementary and secondary schools were chosen in each of the following eight categories: academic achievement, literacy achievement, mathematics achievement, science achievement, technology excellence, leadership excellence, professional development, and collaboration and teamwork. Winners by state are: State School Award Delaware Frankford Elementary School, Frankford Academic Achievement Georgia Alton C. Crews Middle School, Lawrenceville Professional Development Georgia Ruskin Elementary School, Waycross Leadership Excellence Illinois Passages Charter School, Chicago Professional Development Iowa Lincoln Elementary School, Spencer Literacy Achievement Kansas Chisholm Middle School, Newton Collaboration & Teamwork Kansas Ogden Elementary School, Ogden Mathematics Achievement Maryland Stephen Decatur High School, Berlin Mathematics Achievement Massachusetts Roxbury Preparatory Charter, School, Roxbury Academic Achievement New York Don Pedro Albizu Campos/P.S. 161, New York Collaboration & Teamwork New York Greece Odyssey Academy, Rochester Leadership Excellence North Carolina Davidson I.B. Middle School, Davidson Science Achievement North Carolina North Brunswick High School, Leland Literacy Achievement South Carolina Forest Lake Elementary School, Columbia Technology Excellence Virginia Linkhorn Park Elementary School, Virginia Beach Science Achievement Washington Kellogg Middle School, Shoreline Technology Excellence For more information about the Schools of Distinction Awards, visit its Web site. Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the company's Internet site, its Web site. Intel's sponsorship of the Schools of Distinction Awards is part of the Intel Education initiative—a sustained public-private partnership with governments in more than 50 countries. Through this $100 million a year initiative, Intel delivers programs that improve the effective use of technology to enhance 21st century skills, and encourages excellence in mathematics, science and engineering. For more information, visit its Web site.