Youngstown schools to stimulate achievement

By harold gwin

gwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The city school board is tapping nearly $500,000 in federal stimulus money to launch five programs designed to stimulate student academic achievement.

All the programs are related to curriculum and instruction, said Beverly Schumann, district director of curriculum and instruction.

She pointed out that, because they are using stimulus funds, the programs are limited to the remainder of this year and all of 2010-11.

They could all end when the two-year stimulus funding window closes at the end of 2010-11, she said.

The board voted Tuesday to approve all five programs, and President Anthony Catale said the district needs to begin searching for money now to keep them running after stimulus funding expires.

They are part of the district’s effort to rebuild its academic base after years of financial cutbacks as Youngstown works to emerge from fiscal emergency, he said.

The programs are:

$85,000 to fund a Constitution Day/Government Day program that will bring local attorneys into the schools to establish service-learning projects. History Alive, Model United Nations and Law Day are some of the topics to be covered.

$271,414 for academic-intervention programs using the services of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center to help gather and analyze student-performance data in all schools and then assist in implementing and monitoring the use of that data to improve instruction.

$40,000 for a fifth- and sixth-grade academic intervention/intramural sports program. Student participants will spend one hour after school focusing on academics and then engage in athletic activities.

$50,102 to establish various student academic clubs such as chess, math literacy, science and social studies.

$36,168 to launch student technology clubs that will have students working on Web site applications.

The board also approved a two-year $27,200 technology equipment purchase for East High School to be funded by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

The money will be used to buy Promethean interactive SMART boards and related equipment for classroom use.