Watch NIET Surprise DeSoto Parish Schools, LA, with the 2019 District Award of Excellence for Educator Effectiveness
November 12, 2019
What started as a pep rally turned into one big announcement for DeSoto Parish Schools: The district earned the 2019 Award of Excellence for Educator Effectiveness from NIET, which comes with a $50,000 prize. Watch NIET Chairman and Founder Lowell Milken deliver the news to excited educators, students, and local and state officials gathered at Mansfield Elementary School.
DeSoto's decadelong partnership with NIET has led to significant results. DeSoto has jumped from #45 to #12 in its state ranking, and has performed in the top 4% of school districts nationally in math and English language arts growth.
DeSoto's transformation demonstrates the power of high-quality teaching practices and how a commitment to excellent teaching focused on high expectations every day can overcome barriers. Student demographics and population have remained relatively unchanged over the past decade, with a majority of the 5,000 students classifying as economically disadvantaged. Now, faculty in DeSoto schools focus on developing a growth mindset for individual students and teachers alike, and they are continuously strengthening their commitment to effective instruction.
