During the London 2012 Olympics, we witnessed herculean efforts by Olympians such as Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas and Usain Bolt. These games represent a display of best talent, perseverance, commitment, camaraderie and sportsmanship of athletes all around the globe. While the Olympics Games undoubtedly is the most watched sporting competition, we must strive to push our schools to achieve that same Olympian status from an academic perspective. As such, the questions to be asked are: What are the top 10 school performances for schools to emulate? What are some best practices for schools to follow?

For the school year 2012 – 2013, it is our hope that schools successfully improve their performances to prepare students for college and careers. As this happens, these performances should be highlighted in the media just as we highlight the successes of athletes in the Olympic Games. In fact, sports shows such as ESPN highlights its top 10 sports plays, so we should highlight the top 10 performances occurring in our schools. The Holmes Education Post (TheHolmesEducationpost.com), an education focused Internet newspaper, provides the top ten performances for schools to emulate for the upcoming school year.

These performances represent a variety of stakeholders as follows: (1) Snigdha Nandipati, a 14-year old eighth grader at Francis Parker School in San Diego, Calif., wins the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee; (2) Rebecca Mieliwocki, a seventh-grade English teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, Calif. becomes the 2012 National Teacher of the Year; (3) Two of Dallas Independent Schools become the top in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report; (4) Seven schools representing Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina become the 2012 Blue Ribbon Schools Lighthouse Award Inductees;

(5) More than 11 states education agencies received flexibility from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) testing targets; (6) The Coca-Cola Company established a “Pay It Forward” Program that includes a public service challenge and online contest offering teens apprenticeship experiences with some of today’s celebrity history makers; (7) General Electric’s philanthropic arm announced an $18-million grant to Student Achievement Partners, a non-profit organization to provide critical implementation support for the Common Core State Standards across the U.S., preparing American students for an increasingly global and competitive workforce;

(8) The US Department of Education launches the Green Ribbon Schools’ Awards recognizing 78 schools in 29 states and Washington D.C. that have successfully engaged students, parents and their surrounding communities in environmental learning; (9) Congress passes the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act expanding the availability of the at-risk afterschool program to provide meals to children in all states and (10) The Sunshine Review graded government agencies websites such as school systems that are doing an exemplary job of providing information to the public that help parents to determine where to enroll their children in school. Ten states, including Florida and California, earned an “A” on their school districts’ websites.

With even more focus on schools and how they are preparing our students, let’s show the positives that are happening in our educational system. Go to the Holmes Education Post to learn about best practices that are occurring across our nation in the area of education. It is our hope that these best practices will be a source of information that schools across the world will find valuable as we work to improve the educational process. As our 2012 London Olympics come to an end, “let the games begin” with the opening of our schools for the 2012 – 2013 school year. We wish all schools a successful and prosperous year.

Dr. Ronald Holmes is the author of two books, “Education Questions to be Answered” and “Current Issues and Answers in Education.” He is president of “The Holmes Education Post,” an education focused Internet newspaper. Holmes is the national superintendent of education for the National Save the Family Now Movement, Inc., a former teacher, school administrator and district superintendent. He can be reached at [email protected].