The Department of Defense Education Activity recently awarded three grants to the Hawaii Department of Education, Beaufort County School District, and El Paso Independent School District under a pilot grant program. The Fiscal Year-08 Pilot Grant Program, which was designed to enhance learning opportunities at military-connected schools, will provide $300,000 to each of the three schools.
Hawaii Department of Education, Bridging the Mathematical Continuum (BMC) Project is a 3-fold initiative that ultimately aims to prepare all students for successful achievement in Algebra I and II courses. However, as its name implies, activities will not focus solely on high school mathematics. The project aims to enhance the quality of teaching and the preparedness of students across the grade levels so all students will have the knowledge, skills, and habits-of-mind needed for successful achievement in mathematics. Its three components are Math Whizz, Developing Mathematical Ideas, and TI-Nspire Teacher Leader Cadre.
The Beaufort County School District introduced Advancement Via Individual Determination in order to help improve student achievement at secondary schools system wide in 2007. AVID programs are found in over 3,500 schools in the US and abroad, with extensive internal and third-party research validating its success. The grant will expand this initiative by introducing AVID into two military-impacted secondary schools: Robert Smalls Middle School and Battery Creek High School.
El Paso Independent School District will contract with The Princeton Review to serve teachers at four priority schools to include Bassett Middle and the elementary campuses of Bliss, Burnet and Travis in year one. These Science Coaches will be familiar with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. The science coaching program includes:
The Science Master Coaches will engage with teachers to model best practice for teaching utilizing a school based staff development model.
In FY 2007, DoDEA received authority in the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act to work collaboratively with the Department of Education in efforts to ease the transition of military dependent students from attendance in DoDEA schools to attendance in schools local education agencies who educate military students.
One aspect of assistance is the authority to issue grants for programs that enhance student achievement – specifically grants for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs. Grants or cooperative agreements to fund research-based best practice programs to address school district identified education needs are also being funded. The Educational Partnership Program will provide training to Local Education Activities on how to write applications for grants and will serve as a clearinghouse for information on grants that are available for military-connected LEAs.
The grant program will be expanded for FY 2009. Policies and procedures for the FY09 Grant program are currently being developed. Details about the FY09 Grant Program will be available here and will also be publicized.
For more information on the FY09 Grant Program, contact us.
