Indianapolis, Indiana — A Perry Township elementary school is getting praise from all around the world for its efforts to make education available to refugee students who arrive in the country with little to no English proficiency.
William Henry Burkhart Elementary was chosen by T4 Education, which closely collaborates with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, as a finalist for the Community Collaboration Award. Burkhart was included on the Top 10 shortlist for the Community Collaboration Award, which is one of the $250,000 World’s Best School Prizes.
The lone school from Indiana in the Top 10 is Burkhart.
In its efforts to welcome and assist Myanmarese migrants, Burkhart, Indiana, is a shining example of the American sense of community, according to a release issued on Thursday. Despite the unexpected increase in enrolment, the school collaborated with neighborhood community organizations and modified its institutional model to develop an extensive and accessible support network.
The number of students in Burkhart who are learning English has increased by 160% due to the increasing number of refugee children. Despite having a large proportion of English language learners, Burkhart’s districtwide proficiency ranking is third.
Burkhart has made a significant difference in the lives of many refugee children by providing them with a resource that will give them an edge no one can take away from them: education. The true impact was shared in the press release, “A current instructional tutor-translator who first arrived at the school in the 4th grade was one of the refugee children. The student overcame her personal challenges and decided to return as an educator, giving back to the school that shaped her success.”
• The institution is one of four in the United States to make the finalist list for the World’s Best School Prizes. Other American institutions listed:
• Palo Alto High School in California was also shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation.
• Chester A. Arthur School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives.
• IMG Academy in Florida was also shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prize for Supporting Healthy Lives.
In 2022, T4 Education established The World’s Best School Prizes in association with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanahc, and the Lemann Foundation. The awards were created to spread the best practices of educational institutions that are genuinely changing the lives of their students and the communities in which they operate.
Following the announcement of the winners in October, the Top 3 finalists for each of the five World’s Best School Prizes will be revealed in September. The winners of the five awards will each receive a $50,000 award, for a total prize pool of $250,000.
“The schools shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, no matter where they can be found or what they teach, all have one thing in common. They all have a strong school culture. Their leaders know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change, and build excellent teaching and learning environments.
“I must congratulate William Henry Burkhart Elementary on being named in the Top 10 shortlists for the World’s Best School Prizes 2023. Schools across the globe will learn from the story of this trailblazing Indianapolis institution and the culture it has cultivated,” Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education said.
