Four Georgia school systems have been named "Distinguished Districts" for their improvement in educating economically-disadvantaged children. 

   "These districts are showing everyone in the state and in the nation that all students, no matter what their income, can succeed if you have high expectations and unwavering determination," State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said. "Congratulations to all the teachers, students, staff and administrators in these Distinguished Districts."
   Each district will receive a $50,000 award.  The winning districts are: 

   - Large School District (10,000 students or more): Lowndes County
   - Medium School District (4,000-9,999 students): Monroe County
   - Small School District (2,000-3,999 students): Heard County
   - Very Small School District (Under 2,000 students: Quitman County 

   Also, on Thursday, the State Board of Education approved the distribution of monetary awards to Georgia's Title 1 Distinguished Schools. A school is labeled Distinguished if it makes Adequate Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind for three or more years. 

   First-year Title 1 Distinguished Schools are given an award certificate. Schools that have been Title 1 Distinguished for two or more years receive monetary awards. This year nearly 600 Title 1 Distinguished Schools will receive monetary awards ranging from $525 to $19,994. 

   The awards received by Distinguished schools and districts must be used for an educational purpose, such as implementation of special schoolwide or districtwide projects, the purchase of instructional resources and supplies or bonuses for principals, teachers and staff. 

   The Distinguished School and District Awards are paid for by federal Title 1 funds, allocated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.