(March 26, 2004) — The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) visited Clark March 5 to record the school’s strengths and pay careful attention to techniques it uses to educate students, since Clark was selected as one of the top 30 schools in the nation. Other schools across the United States will then replicate these techniques, according to the ICLE project description. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) to observe and select the top 30 schools in the United States. Only two schools in California were selected: Clark and Oxford Academy, an all-gifted school in Orange County. According to a fax sent to Principal Doug Dall from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, Clark was selected by the state to participate in this search because “Clark is an unusual technology-based magnet, with an API [Academic Performance Index] of 812. Everything about this high school is out of the box, from the design of the facility, to the organization of students, to the integrated instructional practices.” All three committees had different jobs in deciding which schools made the cut. The Foundation mainly funded this project; the ICLE staff and consultants traveled to the schools being considered and reviewed their progress; and the CCSSO assisted the Foundation in selecting the schools. Each chosen school will receive a report outlining school strengths after all the observations have been made. According to Dall, the administration can then add to the report anything they feel the committees have missed. Dall said that a large reason for joining these nation-wide recognition programs is that they assist students in getting into universities because universities take note of the fact that an applicant has graduated from a nationally-recognized high school. Clarkies thus have an advantage over others.