NEW: RI Receiving $1.6 Million To Improve Its Schools
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that Rhode Island will receive $1.6 million to continue efforts to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the Department’s School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.
“When schools fail, our children and our neighborhoods suffer,” Duncan said. “Turning around our lowest-performing schools is hard work but it’s our responsibility. We owe it to our children, their families and the broader community. These School Improvement Grants are helping some of the lowest-achieving schools provide a better education for students who need it the most.”
How the Grants Work
According to the US Department of Education, grants are awarded to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) that then make competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds and the strongest commitment to use them to provide adequate resources, in order to substantially raise student achievement in their lowest-performing schools. The Department of Education reports that under the Obama Administration, the SIG program has invested up to $2 million per school at more than 1,300 of the country’s lowest-performing schools. Early findings show positive momentum and progress in many SIG schools. Findings also show that many schools receiving SIG grants are improving, and some of the greatest gains have been in small towns and rural communities.
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Rhode Island, along with Michigan and Virginia, is among the newest states to receive continuation awards for the third year of implementing a SIG model.
Michigan was awarded $17.8 million, and Virginia will receive $7.7 million. These states join the following states that have already received continuation awards:
Alaska—$1.5 million
Arkansas—$5.3 million
Arizona—$10.4 million
Connecticut—$3.6 million
Delaware—$1.4 million
Florida—$26.8 million
Iowa—$3 million
Kentucky—$7.7 million
Maryland—$6.8 million
Minnesota—$5.5 million
Mississippi—$6.1 million
Montana—$1.5 million
New Jersey—$10.4 million
New Mexico—$4.1 million
North Dakota—$1.2 million
Ohio—$20.2 million
Oklahoma—$5.5 million
Oregon—$5.4 million
South Carolina—$7.4 million
South Dakota—$1.5 million
Texas—$49.7 million
Utah—$3.4 million
Washington—$7.8 million
West Virginia—$3.3 million
Wyoming—$1.1 million
In addition to the continuation awards, the Department recently awarded SIG grants to the District of Columbia, Maine and Missouri to run new competitions for previously unfunded schools. The District of Columbia received $1.5 million; Maine received $1.7 million; and Missouri received $7.7 million.
The District of Columbia, Maine and Missouri join the following 10 states that have been awarded grants to run new competitions:
Colorado—$5.2 million
Georgia—$17.2 million
Illinois—$22.2 million
Indiana—$9.2 million
Kansas—$4 million
Louisiana—$9.6 million
Massachusetts—$7.2 million
Nebraska—$2.6 million
Nevada—$3.8 million
North Carolina—$14.3 million
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