Since the Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established by the Secretary of Education in 1982, it has developed into a national school improvement strategy with three purposes.  First, it identifies and recognizes outstanding public and private schools across the nation.  Second, the program makes research-based effectiveness criteria available to all schools so they can assess themselves and plan improvements.  Third, the program encourages schools, both within and among themselves, to share information about best practices based on a common understanding of criteria related to educational success.

 

Blue Ribbon Schools are models of both excellence and equity.  To be recognized, a school must demonstrate a strong commitment to educational excellence for all students.  In 2000, Rutherford High School won the coveted United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award.  The school was recognized for its overall focus on technology.  Every room in the high school is wired for Internet access, compared with a state average of 74 percent. There is one computer for every 2.9 students, compared with one for every 4.8 students statewide.

 

In addition, Rutherford High has its own television studio and offers special courses from Cisco Academy, a course of study intended to prepare students for jobs at the networking giant Cisco Systems.  Rutherford High offers seven advanced placement courses in English, foreign languages, history, biology, computer science and art.  It also offers college-level courses in cooperation with Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck.