Iowa’s received a grant from the National Governors Association for 100-thousand dollars under a program the association says is designed to improve high school graduation rates. Iowa Department of Education Director Judy Jeffrey says they have a set goal for the money.
She says the grant will allow the state to select two high schools who’re not making the progress that they would like to focus on raising the literacy skills of the students. Jeffrey says they’ll split the grant among two schools who’re on the “Schools in Need of Assistance” list for reading.
She says, “It’s meant to bring professional development to the teachers in that building because we know that many of the students who’re failing, and cause the school to be on the list are students who’re not achieving in reading and English language arts.”
Jeffrey says all the teachers in the school will get some training. She says they’ll seek out the schools later this year. She says they’ll release a request for proposals in midwinter and will begin selecting the high schools in the early spring and begin working with them almost immediately. Iowa is one of 17 states chosen for a grant from the N-G-A.