Raising the Bar: The CLIMB to Blue Ribbon

By Michael Eiffe Principal, November/December 2011 In 2006, after a long history of poor academic achievement, low morale, rising poverty, social marginalization, unimpeded behavioral issues, and negative school culture, Cleveland Elementary School was characterized as a failing school. Among the lowest performers on New York state standardized assessments, Cleveland Elementary and the school community experienced both a self-imposed and culturally assigned stigma.