NEW: RI Receiving $1.6 Million To Improve Its Schools

NEW: RI Receiving $1.6 Million To Improve Its Schools

Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that Rhode Island will receive $1.6 million to continue efforts to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the Department’s School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.

“When schools fail, our children and our neighborhoods suffer,” Duncan said. “Turning around our lowest-performing schools is hard work but it’s our responsibility. We owe it to our children, their families and the broader community. These School Improvement Grants are helping some of the lowest-achieving schools provide a better education for students who need it the most.”

How the Grants Work

According to the US Department of Education, grants are awarded to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) that then make competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds and the strongest commitment to use them to provide adequate resources, in order to substantially raise student achievement in their lowest-performing schools. The Department of Education reports that under the Obama Administration, the SIG program has invested up to $2 million per school at more than 1,300 of the country’s lowest-performing schools. Early findings show positive momentum and progress in many SIG schools. Findings also show that many schools receiving SIG grants are improving, and some of the greatest gains have been in small towns and rural communities.

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RI Among Other States

Rhode Island, along with Michigan and Virginia, is among the newest states to receive continuation awards for the third year of implementing a SIG model.
Michigan was awarded $17.8 million, and Virginia will receive $7.7 million. These states join the following states that have already received continuation awards:

Alaska—$1.5 million

Arkansas—$5.3 million

Arizona—$10.4 million

Connecticut—$3.6 million

Delaware—$1.4 million

Florida—$26.8 million

Iowa—$3 million

Kentucky—$7.7 million

Maryland—$6.8 million

Minnesota—$5.5 million

Mississippi—$6.1 million

Montana—$1.5 million

New Jersey—$10.4 million

New Mexico—$4.1 million

North Dakota—$1.2 million

Ohio—$20.2 million

Oklahoma—$5.5 million

Oregon—$5.4 million

South Carolina—$7.4 million

South Dakota—$1.5 million

Texas—$49.7 million

Utah—$3.4 million

Washington—$7.8 million

West Virginia—$3.3 million

Wyoming—$1.1 million

In addition to the continuation awards, the Department recently awarded SIG grants to the District of Columbia, Maine and Missouri to run new competitions for previously unfunded schools. The District of Columbia received $1.5 million; Maine received $1.7 million; and Missouri received $7.7 million.
The District of Columbia, Maine and Missouri join the following 10 states that have been awarded grants to run new competitions:

Colorado—$5.2 million

Georgia—$17.2 million

Illinois—$22.2 million

Indiana—$9.2 million

Kansas—$4 million

Louisiana—$9.6 million

Massachusetts—$7.2 million

Nebraska­—$2.6 million

Nevada—$3.8 million

North Carolina—$14.3 million