El Paso Texas has Superior Schools and here is proof and the money!!

National education experts visited Socorro Independent School District campuses Wednesday to decide whether the district should be considered the country's best at teaching children. Socorro is one of five finalists for the $2 million Broad Prize for Urban Education, which is equivalent to the Academy Award for school districts that show the greatest improvement in student achievement. To receive the prize, districts must also demonstrate that they have reduced the achievement gaps between poor minority children and their affluent Anglo counterparts. A winner will be announced by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Sept. 16 in Washington, D.C., and will receive $1 million in scholarships for high-school seniors who will graduate in 2010. The other four finalists will receive $250,000 each in scholarships, which means Socorro is guaranteed that amount. "Everyone is passionate and enthusiastic, but what this shows most is that we have established processes and strategies that will guarantee student success in the long-term, even if one of us leaves," said Pat O'Neill, the district's assistant superintendent for administrative services. Education leaders have already looked at data that include scores from state standardized tests, performance on the SAT and ACT college entrance exams, and graduation rates. Thursday, they will continue to examine operations, planning and instructional strategies in the district. Two things stood out about Socorro during the trip -- high expectations for students and programs to help at-risk children. So many districts claim they do these things, but we can see that this is really the case at Socorro, This is a district that has had such high levels of growth and could have easily collapsed like others with such increases in student population, but instead focused on academic rigor." Socorro surpassed the state average at increasing the percentage of students who were proficient in math and reading between 2005 and 2008, according to the Broad Foundation. The district also narrowed the achievement gaps in reading and math between poor students and more-affluent students. In 2008, Socorro outperformed other districts in Texas that have students in similar income levels in the two subjects. Win or lose, the district will have access to scholarships from the foundation, which will be available to students who demonstrate academic improvement and show financial need.