MEDIA CONTACT: Meghan Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us

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The list of awardees is available at the bottom of this release.

 December 23, 2020 – The Georgia Department of Education is awarding a total of $244,714 to seven rural school districts to help them create or expand STEM and STEAM programs and activities, State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced today. The grant is aligned to GaDOE's Roadmap to Reimagining K-12 Education, which calls for setting the expectation that every child, in every part of the state, has access to a well-rounded education -- including STEM and STEAM.

The funds will support professional learning to create and develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering, and Math) programs and activities in the school districts of Appling County, Evans County, Jeff Davis County, Mitchell County, Tattnall County, Thomasville City, and Worth County. The grant is focused specifically on STEM/STEAM activities that help students make connections between the content standards, their passions and interests, and exposure to business and industry partnerships within the local or regional community.

“It is essential that students in every part of Georgia have access to robust opportunities to support their learning and growth," Superintendent Woods said. “Through this grant program and others, we're working to ensure schools in rural Georgia have the resources to offer a well-rounded education to their students."

Through this Rural Education Innovation STEM/STEAM Grant, GaDOE is taking advantage of the flexibility offered within the Every Student Succeeds act to use some federal funds to support programs that provide a well-rounded education to students. 

All eligible school districts within the First District and Southwest Georgia RESA regions were given the opportunity to apply for the STEM/STEAM Grant. For the purposes of the grant, a rural school district is any district currently eligible for funding under the federal Rural Education Achievement Program. 

List of Awardees​