CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Public Schools of Robeson County school district was awarded the Values Driven Award of Excellence on Thursday during the Cognia IMPACT Conference.
“This award recognizes schools and school systems that: dream big; stand for the learner; are bold and daring; drive potential by creating and initiating change, growth and innovation; tenaciously and relentlessly pursue their mission; and build connections by explaining and nurturing internal and external relationships,” said Debora Williams, director for the Mid-Atlantic Region with Cognia.
Dr. Windy Dorsey-Carr, assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability for PSRC and PSRC Board of Education Member Henry Brewer received the award.
“The first recipient of the Values Driven Award of Excellence goes to a district that believes schools and school systems do not become high performing by chance,” Williams said.
“During the process of their 2022-2023 Accreditation Engagement Review, Cognia’s Regional Accreditation Evaluators noted that the district has developed a culture of respect, equity, fairness, and inclusion where learner’s well-being is essential to their culture and where a sense of collaboration and congeniality is evident. There is a common understanding that continuous improvement is indeed continuous and never stops. For these reasons and numerous others, Cognia recognizes the Public Schools of Robeson County is recognized as a Values Driven Award of Excellence recipient,” Williams said.
The district was one of two districts in the state to receive the award. Orange County Schools also received the award.
This year, the Public Schools of Robeson County earned system accreditation by Cognia, a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers. The accreditation process spanned two academic years.
“We are grateful to receive this recognition as a district,” said PSRC Superintendent Dr. Freddie Williamson.
“We have passionate educators who show up every day with ways to engage our students and provide them with a quality education. But, the commitment to the continuous improvement of our district reaches across departments. Everyone plays a role in that improvement. Our core values include learning, respect, excellence and equity. Those values will continue to drive everything we do as we work together to move this district forward,” he said.