Area schools get $5.8M to help military kids

Four Pikes Peak region school districts have been awarded Defense Department grants aimed at assisting schools where the military population is growing.

The area districts ­— Academy School District 20, Falcon School District 49, Harrison School District 2 and Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 — received $5.8 million to use on programs over three years. The districts will use the money to improve student achievement, and Falcon and Harrison have targeted math programs in particular.

The Department of Defense Education Activity awarded $56 million nationwide, and was able to make awards to all qualified districts, said spokeswoman Connie Gillette. The grants are for schools with at least a 15 percent military dependent population, but the programs can serve all students in the school.

Fort Carson is in the midst of adding about 6,500 soldiers this year; Peterson and Shriever Air Force bases will grow by a few hundred airmen over several years.

Here’s a look at what the area school districts received because of that growth and what the money will be used for:

• Academy District 20: $2 million
The district’s enrollment is 25 percent military, although five schools fell below the 15 percent cutoff and won’t receive direct impact from the grant, said Michael Doub, D-20 director for information technology/education services. He said the bulk of the money will go toward professional development to train teachers to ensure students are getting 21st-century skills and the district will add a 21st century skills coordinator. “Everybody talks about 21st century skills but there’s little agreement on what that means,” Doub said. “We want to define what we need to do to meet that need.”
Some of the grant money will be used for program development to ensure standards and assessement are related to the 21st century goals. The grant also will help pay for development of online high school courses that are consistent with what the district offers in its brick-and-mortar schools.

• Falcon District 49: $2 million
The district is launching Project AIM (Achievement in Math) at six schools that qualified for grant money, said Kathy Pickering, project coordinator. The project targets students who are failing in math through a variety of classroom and after-school programs.
The middle and high schools will get SMART Boards — interactive digital white boards — and document cameras that will enhance teaching, she said. Teachers will get basic training in the technology, which should be installed by October, and then ongoing professional development to help them take full advantage of it, she said.
The district has hired interventionists for two elementary schools, and those specialists will work with small groups of students who need extra math help. After school tutoring will be offered at all grade levels.

• Fountain-Fort Carson District 8: $1.5 million
The district, which has 68 percent military enrollment, is targeting five schools — three elementary and one middle school on Fort Carson and the district’s high school — said Debbie Pierre, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Teachers will receive additional training, including workshops and ongoing professional development.
The district will increase opportunities for parents, helping them learn skills to assist their children. As part of that component, the district will hire a home liaison to help parents navigate the military and education systems, which should also help the district and the Army better understand the range of needs in the community, Pierre said. Each of the schools also will have a half-time “integrationist” who will assess and work with newly arrived military students to help them quickly get comfortable in their new school environment.
The district also will expand its high school online courses as needed, whether they are aimed at credit recovery or ensuring college readiness, and will enhance after-school programs to include such activities as drama, arts and cultural events.
The overall grant program is called “connecting with compassion” and Pierre explained that the district wants to promote achievement while ensuring that it’s connecting with its students and families in a broader sense as well.

• Harrison District 2: $300,000
The district has two schools that qualified for grant money — Soaring Eagles and Otero elementary schools — said Aljean Tucker, director of curriculum and assessment. Otero is 31 percent military and Soaring Eagles is 17 percent military.
Much of the money will be used for professional development so teachers can better help students who are falling behind, but there will also be an emphasis on helping teachers “just be better math teachers.” The district will purchase SMART Board systems and train teachers how to integrate the technology into lessons, she said.
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