Southeastern Greene awarded special grant
The Southeastern Greene School District recently was awarded a $344,563 Classrooms for the Future grant designed to transform high school instruction through the use of laptop technology in core subject classrooms. Combined with an $11,000 Dual Enrollment and a $73,000 Project 720 grant, the district has been awarded $428,563 in grant funding from the state during the past two weeks.
Junior-Senior High School Principal Randy Brooks said the Classrooms for the Future grant will bring technology into all the core curriculum classrooms in grades 9 and 10.
“It will be a tremendous advantage to our staff and students, and we are excited about it,” he said.
District Superintendent Dr. Philip Savini Jr. said each grant ties into curriculum and meeting state standards in teaching.
These grants will “allow more opportunity for students to utilize the tools they need to meet the standards and improve PSSA test scores,” said Savini. “Financially, without the grants, the district could not even begin to do this.”
With the grant, he said, “the options are endless.”
Each grant was developed under Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s new education initiatives, with Classrooms of the Future being the latest in the governor’s “comprehensive high school reform agenda.” This is the first year for the grant aimed at transforming the high school experience for students through technology.
Rendell said Classrooms for the Future will not only help to boost achievement while students are still in high school, but they will be primed for success in college and beyond, especially in fields that require advanced skills with computers and technology.
“We cannot prepare the Technology Generation to be the innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs of the 21st century just using chalk and blackboards,” said Rendell in a press release.
“The schools selected for the first of Classrooms for the Future will serve as a model to the hundreds of schools we intend to fund through this program over the next three years,” he continued.
This is the second year for the Southeastern Greene’s participation in the Dual Enrollment Program, and Southeastern Greene is the only Greene County school district to participate.
Dual Enrollment was begun under Rendell’s Project 720, Pennsylvania’s nationally recognized high school reform initiative that provides funding for districts to introduce more challenging curriculum and learning environment improvements.
Named for the number of days a student spends in high school from the beginning of 9th grade to the end of 12th grade, Project 720 pilot districts are leading the way in these important changes, according to the project’s Web site. The project has been expanded this year by 32 more high schools. The 75 schools that last year started the project are continuing to receive grants.
Dual Enrollment allows school districts to partner with eligible post-secondary partners to offer high school juniors and seniors the chance to earn college credit while completing high school graduation requirements. The funding for the program increased by $3 million this year.
Last year a number of Southeastern Greene juniors and seniors attended college courses at Penn State Fayette and the Westmoreland County Community College. The grant pays for students’ tuition and books.
In Southeastern Greene, the $73,000 Project 720 grant will fund workforce development programs so students can get experience in career areas they are interested in and know how education ties into careers.
“We’ll use that to help students be better prepared when looking at classes here,” said Savini.
Rendell said Pennsylvania has emerged as a national leader in high school reform thanks to innovative initiatives like Dual Enrollment and Project 720.
“High school students are entering a new, globally-competitive economy and must be equipped to compete with their peers in countries like Japan and India,” said Rendell. “Pennsylvania’s future competitiveness depends on making sure students are prepared for a successful transition to higher education and careers.
“These programs change lives; they provide students with a serious, competitive edge for their own future success and that of the commonwealth,” added Rendell.
Southeastern Greene was the only school district in Fayette and Greene counties to be awarded a Classrooms for the Future grant.
Three Fayette County school districts were awarded Dual Enrollment and Project 720 grants in the following amounts: Brownsville Area, $76,000; Frazier, $67,000; and Laurel Highlands, $116,793 in college and career counseling funding.
For further information on the grant programs, log onto the state Department of Education, the governor or Project 720 Web sites at www.pde.state.pa.us
, www.governor.state.pa.us
or www.project720.org
.