7/2/2011 5:30:00 AMFederal grants go to 11 Northeast Ohio school districts for innovative programs
July 2, 2011, 5:30 AM
By Edith Starzyk, The Plain Dealer
Eleven Northeast Ohio school districts have won a share of $16.2 million in federal funds that the state is doling out over the next three years for innovative programs.
The districts - Akron, Buckeye, Brooklyn, Cardinal, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Fairport Harbor, Kenston, Maple Heights, Oberlin and South Euclid-Lyndhurst - are all participating in the state's Race to the Top program.
They had to compete for the Innovative Grants, part of the $400 million that Ohio was awarded almost a year ago as one of a dozen Race to the Top winners. The U.S. Department of Education staged the Race to raise test scores and graduation rates in the nation's public schools.
Oberlin got one of the biggest innovation grants -- $718,048 to add to an International Baccalaureate program that began in 2007.
Superintendent Geoffrey Andrews said he was especially excited by the news since Oberlin, with about 1,200 students, was asking for a lot per pupil.
"It couldn't have happened without the partnerships we have all the way around the district," he said, adding that both the teachers union and school board had to sign on to be part of Race to the Top. "I credit our folks with taking a leap of faith that we could work together."
Oberlin was the first Ohio district authorized to offer the rigorous IB program to students at all grade levels. The grant will be used to train teachers, bring IB coaches to each school for 20 days a year, and create online portfolios of high school students' work.
Another piece will be used to collaborate with Oberlin College and other groups to offer Mandarin Chinese. Andrews might be able to help with that, even though Thursdaywas his last official day as superintendent. He's leaving to become director of the Western Academy of Beijing.
Most of the 45 innovation grants awarded across the state will be used on five programs already operating in some Ohio schools.
Cleveland Heights-University Heights will get $750,000 for New Tech, a high school program that uses technology in real-world projects.
Cleveland will get $600,000 to bring the global approach of the Asia Society to Lincoln West High School and the new Campus International School.
Fairport Harbor will get $561,750 to offer an Early College High School, allowing students to earn high school and college credit at the same time.
Akron, Brooklyn, Cardinal, Maple Heights and South Euclid-Lyndhurst each will get $61,000 for the Advancement Via Individual Determination program - commonly known as AVID -- which emphasizes college-readiness.
Cleveland, Buckeye and Kenston each will get $250,000 for STEM, which concentrates on science, technology, engineering and math. Cleveland already has a high school called MC2STEM; it will use the new grant in five elementary schools.