General Electric Foundation to Fund Grants for 17 Northern Manhattan Schools
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and General Electric (GE) Foundation President Robert L. Corcoran announced today that 55 City middle schools will receive grants of up to $250,000 to improve student academic achievement. The grants are being awarded to schools after a competitive application process. Each school receiving a grant created a comprehensive school improvement plan that outlines how it will use grant dollars to advance student learning, both for students who have fallen behind in school and for those who could benefit from more advanced options. The Department of Education is funding 38 of the grants, while grants for 17 schools located in Northern Manhattan are being funded by the GE Foundation through a donation made last year to the Fund for Public Schools. The middle school grant program was developed by the Department and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn during last year’s budget process. Chancellor Klein and the GE Foundation President were joined by U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel, City Council Speaker Quinn, and City Councilmember Robert Jackson at MS 326 in Washington Heights for the announcement.
The middle school improvement grant program is a cornerstone of the Campaign for Middle School Success, an initiative the DOE launched last year with the City Council to improve the City’s middle schools, many of which have struggled to overcome legacies of low student achievement. The Campaign for Middle School Success was designed to provide middle school educators with the support, information, and financial resources they need to serve adolescent students. The goal is for all students to complete the eighth grade with the skills and knowledge they will need to be successful high school students.
MS 326 is one of the schools receiving a grant funded by the GE Foundation. The school, which serves large populations of English language learners and students with special needs, improved from a “C” on its 2006-07 Progress Report to an “A” last year. In her grant proposal, MS 326 Principal Sharon Weissbrot set goals for building on recent progress in coming years. The school will use its grant primarily to enrich its math, science, and technology curricula by introducing after-school and summer classes, as well as partnering with NBC to develop a rigorous graphic design program. MS 326 shares a building with MS 328, which is also receiving a GE Foundation-funded grant.
“We know that a child’s academic performance in middle school is the strongest predictor of whether he will graduate from high school ready for college,” Chancellor Klein said. “That’s why we’re focusing on improving the City’s middle schools, and that’s why we’re working to make sure that our educators have the resources they need to help students succeed during these critical years. Each school receiving these grants has articulated a clear vision for how it can make progress. We’re extremely pleased to provide them with the resources that will help them turn this vision into a reality.”
“These grants reflect an important development in the partnership between the New York City Department of Education and the GE Foundation,” said Bob Corcoran, President and Chairman of the GE Foundation. “We are proud to see that our Developing Futures™ in Education program, which was created to raise student achievement through improved math and science curricula and management capacity at the schools, is taking root in Northern Manhattan and the rest of New York City.”
“It is a great day for education in Upper Manhattan and across New York City,” Representative Rangel said. “I commend the GE Foundation for its major investment in our community, and especially in public education. This is exactly the kind of public-private partnership that this nation needs to compete in our increasingly global world. Middle school is an essential part of a child's growth, and these grants will go a long way towards strengthening the resources we already have in place to develop these young minds. I would like to congratulate all of the grant recipients in my district, especially Principal Sharon Weissbrot of MS 326 and Principal Jorge Estrella of MS 328, for their work to equip students with the skills they will need to fulfill their dreams.”
“Over the last three years the Council has been working with the Mayor and DOE to invest in our city’s middle schools, and we’re proud to have helped secure much of the funding being announced today,” City Council Speaker Quinn said. “Today’s grants build on previous collaborations that allowed many schools to implement recommendations of the Council’s Middle School Task Force. We’re also extremely grateful to GE for their investment, which will help these schools improve students’ educations in a host of creative ways.”
“These implementation grants are a central aspect of our Campaign for Middle School Success,” said Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning Marcia V. Lyles. “We know from experience that schools see results when they lay out clear objectives and plan for how to achieve them. We’re extremely grateful to be joined in this work by the GE Foundation, whose generous support has helped to make these grants possible.”
“The grant from the GE Foundation will enable MS 326 to increase rigor in math, science, and technology,” Principal Sharon Weissbrot said. “We need to ensure that every student experiences a smooth transition to middle school and receives the support and resources to succeed in high school and college. With the support of the parents and the community, as well as a dedicated staff, the grant will enable our children to close the achievement gap.”
“Today is a prime example of what can happen when the DOE and parents work in concert on behalf of the biggest stakeholders, the school children of New York City,” said Carol Boyd, a parent leader for the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice. “CEJ has worked tirelessly to ensure that one day all of our children will have equal educational access and opportunity for success regardless of neighborhood, economic status, or language of origin. These grants are one small step in that direction, and CEJ hopes this work will be built upon through the Campaign for Middle School Success.”
The grant process began in the summer of 2008, when the City’s 250 highest-needs middle schools were offered the opportunity to apply for planning grants to help them develop comprehensive reform plans. Schools awarded planning grants then developed proposals for the implementation grants that were awarded today. Seventy middle schools submitted proposals for implementation grants, out of which 55 were chosen. Successful proposals demonstrated a clear understanding of the steps required to improve student achievement and articulated detailed plans for how grant money would be used.
The GE Foundation has been a leading supporter of the Department’s Campaign for Middle School Success, specifically focusing on schools in Northern Manhattan. Each grant is a one-year grant, with the option to roll money over to the 2009-2010 school year.
About the GE Foundation: The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, it supports U.S. and international education, the environment, public policy, human rights and disaster relief. In addition, the GE Foundation supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2008, the entire GE family — including businesses, employees, retirees and GE Foundation — contributed more than an estimated $237 million to community and educational programs, including nearly $100 million from GE Foundation. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.
Grant Recipients:
Bronx (DOE-funded)
PS 10
PS 17
JHS 22
IS 117
JHS 123
JHS 131
JHS 144
IS 206
PS 211
PS 214
MS 223
IS 254
MS/HS 368
The South Bronx Academy for Applied Media
East Bronx Academy for the Future
Brooklyn (DOE-funded)
JHS 14
JHS 57
JHS 62
IS 68
PS 73
PS 99
MS 246
JHS 302
PS 327
PS 328
MS 584
Lyons Community School
Brooklyn School for Global Studies
Secondary School for Law
Secondary School for Research
The School for International Studies
Ebbets Field Middle School
Elijah Stroud Middle School
The School of Integrated Learning
School for Democracy and Leadership
School of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Queens (DOE-funded)
PS 183
PS 23
Manhattan (GE Foundation-funded)
JHS 45
PS 50
JHS 52
PS 149
PS 187
MS 224
MS 250
MS 319
MS 322
MS 324
MS 326
MS 328
Community Health Academy of the Heights
Tag Young Scholars
Global Neighborhood Secondary School
Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science
Mott Hall School