Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

Literacy programs at some Great Falls schools have received a million-dollar boost.

It's part of a $7.6 million dollar grant being distributed to several schools across Montana by the Office of Public Instruction.

The grant will be paid out over three years, though there's a chance the schools will only get part of the money, if the funding is not available in the next two years.

Each school gets to decide how they want to spend the money.

At Great Falls High School, the grant writers left that decision up to the teachers, who said that technology is the answer.

Heather Hoyer, an associate principal at GFHS, said, "Overwhelmingly, the teachers said let us get the kids' hands on iPads and Kindles, and use those as reading tools, as research tools, as vocabulary building tools."

GFHS English teacher Dawn Dengel noted, "I think sometimes we think of literacy as confined to reading and writing, and isn't that the English teacher's job? We know more than half of math is knowing how to read and comprehend, and if we don't have good comprehension skills, we can't understand any textbook. So really it's to help all of our kids across the curriculum."

The grant money will be available February 1st.

(January 18, 2012) The Montana Office of Public Instruction on Wednesday named the public schools that will receive $7.6 million in federal grant funding for the 2011-2012 school year to advance literacy skills.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denis Juneau noted in a press release, "Reading and writing are vital skills every child must have for their future academic and economic success. This grant will allow Montana to build on successful programs and seek out innovative strategies to improve literacy for children of all ages."

The grants will be used for the Montana Striving Reader's Project, which is aimed at dramatically improving literacy achievement for students.

The Office of Public Instruction is awarding 10 grants to school districts, which includes 29 schools, and five grants to Head Start and preschool programs throughout the state.

Here is the complete list of schools receiving Striving Readers grants:

Great Falls Public Schools: $1,136,171

Chief Joseph and Valley View Elementary Schools: $508,582
East Middle School: $257,089
Great Falls High School: $370,500

Browning Public Schools: $399,414

K. W. Bergan, Vina Chattin, Napi and Browning Elementary School: $199,414
Browning Middle School: $100,000
Browning High School: $100,000

Libby Public Schools: $306,310

Libby Elementary School: $204,782
Libby Middle School: $101,528

Charlo Public Schools: $299,732

Charlo Elementary: $78,069
Charlo 7-8: $107,093
Charlo High School: $120,600

Kalispell Public Schools: $140,639

Elrod and Russell Elementary Schools: $140,639

Wolf Point Public Schools: $971,774

Northside and Southside Elementary Schools: $473,486
Wolf Point 7-8: $226,641
Wolf Point High School: $271,647

Butte Public Schools: $836,500

Whittier and West Elementary Schools: $504,000
East Middle School: $332,500

Lone Rock Schools: $314,998

Lone Rock Elementary: $218,202
Lone Rock Middle School: $96,796

Hardin Public Schools: $730,845

Crow Agency School and Hardin Elementary School: $380,834
Hardin Middle School: $157,672
Hardin High School: $192,339

Anaconda Public Schools: $496,620

W. K. Dwyer School: $225,661
Anaconda High School: $270,959

Preschools/Head Starts Receiving Striving Readers Grants:*

Hardin Special Education Preschool: $181,469
Rocky Mountain Development Council (Helena) $189,854
Central Montana Head Start (Lewistown, Roundup, Harlowton) $250,000
Human Resource Development Council (Gallatin Gateway, Bozeman, Livingston, Belgrade) $167,018

*One additional preschool award is still pending.