Burlington and Winooski school districts get $200,000 grant

In an effort to prepare all of New England’s learners with the skills and knowledge they need for full participation in postsecondary education, work and life, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation promotes the integration of Student-Centered Learning across the region. The School Districts in Burlington and Winooski have been selected as one of seven recipients of a one-year, $200,000 planning grant from the Foundation. With this grant, the districts and communities will collaboratively design a comprehensive strategy that builds upon current efforts to fully implement a student-centered education system that meets the needs of all learners.
Student-Centered Learning is characterized by education that takes place both in and out of the classroom; focuses on the needs and interests of learners; finds innovative uses of time; includes a wider variety of adults in all aspects of learning; and measures skills and mastery of content using a combination of demonstration and traditional testing.
The grants are among the first made through the Foundation’s new District Level Systems Change (DLSC) initiative which is designed to promote the integration of Student-Centered reforms by working simultaneously across three areas: education practice; policy; and public understanding and demand. The Foundation believes that by utilizing this three-part strategy, districts can achieve and sustain the type of change necessary to dramatically improve education.
Mary Martineau and Jeanné Collins, Superintendents of Winooski and Burlington School Districts respectively, issued a joint statement: ‘We are delighted to receive this highly competitive and prestigious planning grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. We look forward to working together to address barriers to student-centered learning and to build upon the great work currently underway in our schools to better support students in identifying and reaching their own goals for the future.’
The Burlington and Winooski School Districts will work with the partners of the districts and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation to design a comprehensive strategy that builds upon current efforts and fully implements student-centered education that meets the needs of all learners.
‘These grants represent a significant step for education reform and, ultimately, the well-being of our region,’ said Mary Sylvia Harrison, Vice President of Programs for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. ‘We believe that integrated Student-Centered Learning at the district level will address important issues of equity and prepare more young people with the tools they need to succeed.’
Throughout the planning year, the Foundation will work with the Burlington and Winooski School Districts and the other grant recipients to design and develop a plan to transition to a Student-Centered approach to education. Following the planning grant period, the Foundation anticipates that it will award four to six planning grant recipients with multi-year grants of $800,000 to $1,500,000 annually to implement their Student-Centered Learning plan.
The other schools, districts and organizations selected to receive District Level Systems Change planning grants from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation are; Central Falls School District ‘ Central Falls, RI; Job for Maine’s Graduates ‘ Portland, ME; MSAD #60 ‘ North Berwick, ME; Pittsfield School District’Pittsfield, NH; Randolph School District’Randolph, Ma; Sanford School Department’Sanford, ME.
The Winooski School District (WSD) serves 764 students (K-12), of which 259 are at the high school level. WSD is actively pursuing the following goals for the district; increase individualized learning and growth, increase student engagement, collaborate, high expectations and accountability for all, and increase parent engagement for all (K-12).
The Burlington School District serves almost 3600 students in nine schools, pre-K through 12th grade, of which 1100 are at the high school. BSD will continue to build upon its mission to ensure that all students achieve their highest intellectual and personal potential, and are prepared to contribute as global citizens in the 21st century. BSD’s goal is to prepare all students to succeed in higher education, careers and citizenship by providing challenging core academic instruction, enriched arts, math, sciences and wellness experiences, and 21st century skill development opportunities.
The primary partners with the two School Districts for this initiative are: Vermont Adult Learning (www.vtadultlearning.org), Voices for Vermont’s Children (www.voicesforvtkids.org), Linking Learning to Life (www.lllvt.org), and the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education (http://www.uvm.edu/tiie). The Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation provides additional support for this initiative.
The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education. The Foundation supports the promotion and integration of student-centered approaches to learning at the middle and high school levels across New England. To elevate student-centered approaches, the Foundation utilizes a three-part strategy that focuses on: developing and enhancing models of practice; reshaping education policies; and increasing public understanding and demand for high quality educational experiences. The Foundation’s new initiative areas are: District Level Systems Change; State Level Systems Change; Research and Development; and Public Understanding. Since 1998, the Foundation has distributed over $123 million in grants. For more information, visit www.nmefdn.org