Public schools in five states to receive $500,000 for arts, technology and programs from Leonore Annenberg Fund

PHILADELPHIA, April 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine public elementary schools in five states will each receive grants of $50,000 and up from the Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children, which provides educational resources to underfunded schools in urban and rural communities.

The Leonore Annenberg School Fund's 2015 grants total more than $500,000 for resources such as interactive whiteboards and playground equipment; programs to increase proficiency in math and science; and an initiative using the arts to improve reading skills. The schools are chosen in consultation with regional, nonprofit partner organizations: Council for Educational Change (Florida), Center for Arts Education (New York), Houston A+ Challenge (Texas), Public Education Fund (Tennessee), and Rural School and Community Trust (Washington, D.C.).

Including the current group, the Leonore Annenberg School Fund has awarded more than $5.9 million over the last eight years to public elementary schools that are in financial need and serve a high concentration of children from families living in poverty.

"Through her legacy fund, Leonore Annenberg envisioned a gift that would keep on giving," said Gail Levin, Ph.D., director of the program, administered by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.  "For this reason, each award provides a resource that enables students to 'shine brightly,' and creates an engaging and inspiring school environment."

The schools receiving 2015 grants are:

• Annabel C. Perry K-6 Center, Miramar, Fla.: Interactive technology for classrooms. The school, expanding to include 7^th and 8^th grade, will buy interactive tables where up to six students at a time can collaborate on projects, as well as interactive whiteboards and slates.
• Myrtle Grove K-8 Center, Miami Gardens, Fla.: Reader's Theater literacy program. Myrtle Grove is committed to emphasizing the arts – theater, poetry, literature and music – to strengthen reading skills. Reader's Theater uses nursery rhymes, poetry anthologies, play scripts, and musical instruments for theater productions that aim to improve fluency and vocabulary.
• Reynolds Lane Elementary School, Jacksonville, Fla.: Lego educational projects and nonfiction classroom libraries. Lego products are designed to improve children's critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The school is also buying texts for each classroom and new interactive learning tools.
• PS 5M: Ellen Lurie School, New York, N.Y.: School-wide music integration program. Building on the success of an after-school choral program, PS 5M will develop a complementary music program for all classes. The program will let students link the thought processes and practices of music with English language arts, social studies, and math learning.
• Blythe-Bower Elementary School, Cleveland, Tenn.: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) Lab. In a new state-of-the-art lab, Blythe-Bower teachers will engage in continuing professional development focused on improving the knowledge and critical thinking skills of their students in the arts and STEM disciplines.
• East Side Elementary School, Chattanooga, Tenn.: Upgrades for the READ 180 Interactive Laboratory; purchase of nonfiction texts. Enhancements to the READ lab include access to more nonfiction texts and the development of individualized strategies to strengthen reading, writing and comprehension.
• Central Sussex Elementary School, Sussex, Va.: A playground. An outdoor playground that would provide students with a safe space for structured and free play has long been on the wish list of Central Sussex, located in rural, south-central Virginia. The playground is seen as part of a broad fitness and healthy living agenda with outreach to families.
• Totaro Elementary School, Lawrenceville, Va.: Classroom sets of Kindle Fire and Dell Pro tablets. Rural Brunswick County has little Internet access except through dial-up service. Kindle Fire tablets will let students download books and other applications for school or home; Dell Pro tablets are for in-school use.
• Blanche Kelso Bruce Elementary School, Houston, Texas: Interactive whiteboards for classrooms and nonfiction books for class libraries. Bruce Elementary is a music magnet school. The interactive white boards, together with expanded classroom libraries, will help increase literacy development through student engagement and teacher effectiveness.

The school fund is a part of the Leonore Annenberg Scholarship, Fellowship and School Funds, which also provide four-year college scholarships to high school students who have overcome challenging circumstances, and career development support to emerging artists. As of June 2015, the Leonore Annenberg Funds will have committed more than $17 million to public schools, college students, and arts fellows. The 10-year program is in its eighth year.

The Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, provides educational resources of immediate and direct value to schools serving children with great need. Visit www.leonoreannenbergscholarships.org.

About Leonore Annenberg: Leonore Annenberg (1918-2009) was U.S. Chief of Protocol for President Ronald Reagan and wife of the late Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg.  Mrs. Annenberg established the grants to support her lifelong commitment to public service, education, and the arts.  All grants are made on an invitation-only basis, in consultation with a partner organization. Visit www.leonoreannenbergscholarships.org for more information.

SOURCE The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Related Links

http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org