Click
here for list of awardees.
MEDIA
CONTACT: Meghan
Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, 404-463-4246, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
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November
19, 2019 – The
Georgia Department of Education is awarding $3.6 million in Rural Resource
Grants to assist nine rural school districts in their school improvement
efforts.
These
grants are made possible through federal Title I, Part A, 1003 funds and are
being awarded to nine districts with schools that qualify for Comprehensive Support
and Improvement (CSI)
or Targeted Support and
Improvement (TSI).
They specifically target rural districts, which often have limited funding to
provide the resources educators and students need to be successful.
“At
the Georgia Department of Education, we are committed to providing the
resources and tools all schools need to improve,” State School Superintendent
Richard Woods said. “We know rural schools often face unique resource gaps that
make it difficult to provide the strongest possible educational experience for
students. Through our Rural Resource Grants, we are leveraging federal funds to
provide additional resources to impact the classroom in rural school
districts.”
All
CSI and TSI schools are served by GaDOE’s Office of School Improvement and
receive federal school improvement funding. The Rural Resource Grant provides
additional one-time funds to help federally identified schools serving rural
areas focus their efforts to increase student achievement, addressing coherent
instruction, effective leadership, supportive learning environment and
professional capacity. All rural districts with CSI and/or TSI schools were
eligible to apply, and the funds were awarded based on a competitive grant
process.
“Rural
schools constitute a significant proportion of Georgia’s schools and school
districts,” said Dr. Stephanie Johnson, GaDOE’s Deputy Superintendent for
School Improvement. “Our goal is to ensure all students have equal access to a
high quality education. Therefore, it is imperative that the needs of students
attending schools in rural school districts are taken into account. The Rural
Resource Grant provides an economically feasible way to accomplish school
improvement goals in low-resource rural areas. Enhancing supports in rural
schools to build the teacher and principal workforce, provide instructional
resources (including technology) that prepare children to learn, extend
learning opportunities beyond the school day, and to strengthen wraparound
support are but a few areas requested from districts that applied for the
grant.”
Under
ESSA, states are required to identify schools in need of additional support.
GaDOE is committed to a school improvement process that gives all districts the
support they need, and oversees a proactive, tiered and tailored system of
supports with the Whole Child at the center. Rather than a siloed process, the
entire agency works together to leverage resources and expertise to support all
schools.