Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Council of the Great City Schools Announce Commitment to Urban Education Award

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, an elementary school publishing unit of McGraw-Hill Education, and the Council of the Great City Schools, have announced that Evelyn Bethune, a guidance counselor at Design and Architecture Senior High School (DASH), Miami, FL, is the recipient of The Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Education for 2003.

Evelyn Bethune is a 34-year veteran of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and a champion of post-secondary goals for her students provided the vision, leadership and the commitment necessary to ensure overall student success. Ms. Bethune's career began in the classroom where she taught for 20 years then progressed to working with students as a guidance counselor. She was part of the original staff at DASH that was nationally recognized for excellence. With her guidance, college acceptances at DASH have increased to 98% of the student population, and this year, the school's 117-member class of 2003 earned more than $5 million in scholarships.

The Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Education was established in 1998, in honor of its namesake, a vice president for urban programs with the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill whose career as an advocate for urban education spanned three decades. Ms. Smith spearheaded various inner-city school initiatives and won praise and recognition for her efforts including her nationally recognized work with the Council of the Great City Schools.

Award recipients are selected annually, based upon their commitment to education, especially their leadership in furthering a specific aspect of education. The Queen Smith Award winner receives $1,000 and the Council of the Great City Schools also receives $1,000 for its programs that serve as models for educating future generations.

About Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill is a leading pre-K through Grade 6 publisher of print and technology-based materials that help teach every child in today's classrooms. It is a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and Business Week. The corporation has more than 320 offices in 34 countries. Sales in 2002 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

About the Council of the Great City Schools

The Council of the Great City Schools is a coalition of 61 of the nation's largest urban public school systems. Founded in 1956 and incorporated in 1961, the Council is located in Washington D.C., where it works to promote urban education through legislation, research, media relations, instruction, management, technology, and other special projects designed to improve the quality of urban education. The Council serves as the national voice for urban educators, providing ways to share promising practices and address common concerns.

SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education

CONTACT:
April Hattori
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-2078
april_hattori@mcgraw-hill.com
Diane Lopez
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-3214
diane_lopez@mcgraw-hill.com

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