Education department applies for stimulus money to help struggling schools

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(Host) The Vermont Department of Education is applying for a federal stimulus grant that’s designed to help struggling schools in the state.

The goal of the grant, which could amount to more than $50 million, is to find ways to boost student achievement levels, measure teacher effectiveness and expand technology learning opportunities in the schools.

VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.

(Kinzel) The federal program is known as the "Race to the Top," and in the course of the next year, almost $5 billion in grants will be allocated to schools across the country through a competitive bid process.

Vermont Education commissioner Armando Vilaseca says his department is preparing a grant that would provide the state with between 50 and $100 million over the next 4 years.

He says the money will be targeted at efforts to improve teacher effectiveness, to create new learning opportunities for students and to incorporate new technology into low performance schools – the so called struggling schools:

(Vilaseca) "We have many rural schools in Vermont that it would be prohibitive for them to have advanced placement courses or specific courses that appeal to a very small number of kids. But by using technology and by using on line courses, by looking at different ways of providing those students, then we’re meeting a need where there was a void."

(Kinzel) Vilaseca also envisions a new structure for the average school day for a number of students:

(Vilaseca) "Let’s say in the morning for a class, then after that first class they go to the library and they go on line to take a course that’s being offered through the University of Nevada or somebody. And then after that they go and do an internship with a company or a business where they are also getting real life experience, but also seeing how technology is being used in everyday experiences."

(Kinzel) Vilaseca also thinks the time has come to create year round schools in some communities:

(Vilaseca) "… Where schools are open from early in the morning to late in the afternoon or early evening so that students can work around some of their own interests or work requirements…Maybe looking at a schedule that looks like 8 weeks on 2 weeks off throughout the year. We’re wasting a huge amount of time in the summer by letting some of our kids who have some of the greatest challenges be home without any support for 6 weeks and then when they return to school they’re further behind."

(Kinzel) The state hopes to complete its grant application in the next few weeks.

For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.

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