Candis Hagaman, principal of Caldwell Early College High School, has been honored with the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.

Hagaman was one of eight principals nationally who received the award earlier this month, presented by the U.S. Department of Education, together with the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association of Middle-Level Education, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The award is named in memory of former Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell.

 

The award recognizes outstanding school leaders and the vital role they play in guiding students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances. Principals nominated for this award are school leaders committed to fostering successful teaching and learning at their schools and who do “whatever it takes” to help their students meet high standards. They are committed to education as a powerful and liberating force in people’s lives.

Those chosen as Bell Award recipients have transformed their schools. Their vision and collaborative leadership styles have produced outstanding results for all their students, according to the U.S. Department of Education, regardless of race, language proficiency, or socioeconomic status. They have shown that with effective leadership and teaching and a firm conviction, all students can learn.

Caldwell Early College was named a National Blue Ribbon School earlier this fall by the Department of Education based on the strength of its achievement in closing achievement gaps between subgroups of students. It was the only high school in the state to win recognition as an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School.