U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

July 28, 2005

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600

 

SEN SALAZAR CONGRATULATES ROCKY MTN PBS AND PARTNERS ON $5.1M GRANT TO ENHANCE MATHMATICAL EDUCATION AND HELP PROGRAM

DENVER, CO – U.S. Senator Ken Salazar congratulates the Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and its partners, the Colorado Department of Education, Responsive Research and Consultation and Digital Directions, Inc. on receiving a three-year $5.1M grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand and enhance the Help with English Language Proficiency (HELP Program).

The HELP program is the first supplementary digital educational program in the United States designed to teach mathematics to English Language Learners by removing language barriers from learning math skills and math content. HELP engages students through interactive, multimedia lessons that use Spanish/English hyperlinks to key terms, pictorial examples, animated scenarios and assessment feedback. HELP has been shown to dramatically increase mathematical scores of English language students.

The grant award will enable Rocky Mountain PBS to expand and evaluate HELP, assess the availability of technology in high-need educational districts and investigate the need for teacher training to deliver this new and innovative teaching tool. Rocky Mountain PBS will implement and study the HELP program in 120 middle schools in Colorado, California, Texas and New York.

In congratulating the Rocky Mountain Broadcasting Station, Senator Salazar stated, “Its selection to receive this important competitive grant is a significant recognition of the hard work and dedication of Rocky Mountain PBS and its partners to the educational achievement of Colorado’s students. The HELP program offers real promise for a national model to more effectively educate English Language Learners in math and close the achievement gap.”

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