Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

BetterLesson Distributes $300,000 in Grants Among K-12 Districts

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/12/21

K-12 professional learning provider BetterLesson announced that it will distribute $300,000 in grant money for professional development services among six K-12 school districts around the country. According to a press release, the goal of the grant program is to focus on “improving the continuity of teaching and learning across all environments and addressing issues of equity in education.” The matching grant program launched in 2020, and this year’s winners are the first batch of educational institutions to receive it.

“It’s incredibly heartening to see that despite an ongoing pandemic and social and political unrest, schools and districts across the U.S. are motivated to improve teaching and learning in new environments and adopt strategies that promote social justice,” said BetterLesson CEO Matt Kennard. “Our team enjoyed reading through each and every grant application – the awarded services are well deserved, and we look forward to supporting recipients in achieving their goals.”

This year’s recipients of the grant, as well as their plans for the funding, include:

  • Lyons Township High School District 204 (LTHS), Illinois: Promote student-centered teaching practices through a group-based training model. The training will encourage educators to focus on engagement, personalization, and relevance in both hybrid and remote learning situations.
  • Methuen Public Schools (MPS), Massachusetts: Pursue a long-term goal of promoting student-centered, equitable, responsive educating and learning. They plan to increase the use of student data to determine the best instructional practices.
  • Norwalk Public Schools, Connecticut: NPS plans to advance student-centered STEM education, student engagement, inclusive and responsive educational methods, and meeting students’ needs.
  • Provo City School District, Utah: PCSD plans to devote its funds to literacy outcomes in grades K-3. It will provide one-on-one coaching for teachers at four elementary schools, as well as social-emotional learning (SEL) training workshops and coaching for district teachers and social workers.
  • Tomkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (TST BOCES), New York: TST BOCES plans to solve problems related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. “This is likely the most challenging time any of us has experienced as educators,” said Nicole Eschler, Executive Director of Regional School Success at TST BOCES, “but the dedication, creativity and care shown by our educators is off the charts – we’re eager to build staff capacity and create sustained, systemic change.”
  • Yeshivat Darche Eres (YDE), New York: It will fund training programs for best educational practices related to blended learning, and it will introduce a one-to-one technology initiative.

Future rounds of grants will help educators address student and teacher needs that emerge after the pandemic, using lessons and strategies learned to further student growth. More information about the matching grant program is available here.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.