Report from Headquarters


Grants Will Benefit Swigert Academy

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Grants Will Benefit Swigert Academy Colorado Springs School District 11 has been awarded more than $20 million in federal grants that will have a positive impact on the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, a public middle school collaboratively developed by the Space Foundation and District 11 that uses space themes and principles to teach a broad range of subjects.

Magnet School Grant
District 11 announced in September that it has received a federal grant from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program to support  Swigert Academy in reaching its goal of increasing student achievement. This grant is similar to the one received three years ago on behalf of District 11’s Galileo School of Math & Science.

The grant of approximately $5.18 million over three years will support the continued evolution of Swigert Academy by providing the personnel, teacher professional development, technology and supplies that have been identified as critical to Swigert’s success. Key components of the grant include an expansion of the aerospace theme, integrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) curriculum, extended learning opportunities, increased academic interventions and teacher professional development, as well as additional technology.

Read local news coverage of the grant here here.

Teacher Incentive Fund Grant
A $15.2 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant will be used to implement TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement at six elementary schools, two middle schools including Swigert and two high schools. The grant will be spread out over five years to provide coaching for teachers, a system to test and share teaching methods, and rewards for excellence. The district will provide additional support to boost teacher effectiveness, recruitment and retention.

Districe 11 was one of 62 winning applicants, which included rural and urban school districts, nonprofit groups and state education organizations from 27 states.

The district will receive the first installment for both grants in January.

Space Foundation Congratulates D-11
“These grants are terrific wins for our partners at D-11, and especially for “our” students at JSAA,” said Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Pulham. “We look forward to helping implement these grants in any way we can, and to the wonderful new opportunities they will bring for D-11 teachers and students.”

Pictured: Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy students work on a two-dimensional model of the International Space Station.

 

 

This article is part of Space Watch: October 2010 (Volume: 9, Issue: 10).


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