From Harford County Public Schools:
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Educational Partnership awarded a $1.2M grant to Harford County Public Schools for the 2014-15 school year. Harford County Public Schools serves military students from United States Department of Defense Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG).
“The ‘Eagles Soar Initiative’ grant will provide a number of our schools with resources they would not have otherwise received this year,” said Superintendent of Harford County Public Schools Barbara Canavan. “The grant enables us to offer STEM-related instruction after school and during the summer that will afford our students additional opportunities to excel in STEM-related areas. Our teachers and instructional support staff will receive added professional development in science and technology this year. We are grateful for the support and funding that we have been afforded through this grant.”
Roye-Williams Elementary School, Church Creek Elementary School, Aberdeen Middle School, and Aberdeen High School provide educational services to more than 924 students whose parents are employed by APG and will benefit from the $1.2M grant from DoDEA. The Eagles Soar Initiative will provide the following programs at these four schools: 1) professional development for teachers in science and technology; 2) STEM after school and summer programs; 3) new technology in Advanced Placement biology, chemistry and physics classrooms at Aberdeen High; and 4) Aberdeen High students with opportunities to explore careers in strategic foreign languages.
“The Department of Defense is committed to ensuring that all children of military families have access to quality educational opportunities,” said Kathleen Facon, Chief of the DoDEA’s Educational Partnership Program. “DoDEA Educational Partnership grants have the power to transform learning experiences for military children and we are looking forward to working with the Harford County School District to leverage success and learn from their expertise.”
Facon noted that DoDEA received many high-quality proposals for innovative programs and initiatives to support military connected students. This year’s grant competition was focused on programs that: 1) infuse Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) principles throughout the curriculum; 2) establish or expand foreign language learning; and/or 3) programs that include ongoing, systemic strategies for parent and family engagement.
DoDEA awarded nearly $32 million in grants this year. The grants were awarded to 25 military-connected public school districts to strengthen family-school-community relationships and enhance student achievement for military connected students.
To be eligible for participation in the grant, the district must have an active military-connected student population of 5% or more, with a population of 15% or more military-connected students at the school level. Although funding levels are related to military student enrollment, the proposed programs will serve all students at the target schools.
DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the United States that serve children of military families.
Why is there a program exclusively for public employees kids using taxpayers money? I’d like to see a program that excludes public employees kids and watch that reaction.
The starch form ironing shirts is rotting your brain…..
“Although funding levels are related to military student enrollment, the proposed programs will serve all students at the target schools.”
This is free money from the federal government. I would rather it went to these Harford schools (Rt 40, no less!) than to Guam or Cuba. It’s not like we would get it back on our next tax refund if it didn’t get used here.
Good work to whoever made it happen.
yes, it will be a boost to harford co education but lets not forget it will be a lot of $ coming into a corrupt county. one who’s leaders at every post are not trusted. a place where the county council, the courts and the hcso have alienated even long time supporters. I have an idea? let’s switch the leaders in harford co with our leaders in dc….hey that’s scary funny, we can call it, “a necessary evil” ……hot subject, who do you think will do a better job? wow, wouldn’t copper make a good pres? she will prob bring back the guillotine