FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Number: nr 99-6
Contact: Nan Powers Varoga, 713-658-1881, ext. 114
nvaroga@houstonaplus.org
Houston A+ Challenge awards $4.64 million to 88 public schools
Houston, September 30, 1999 – Mayor Lee Brown announced today that the Houston A+ Challenge is awarding $4.64 million in grants to 88 schools in six school districts, including Alief, Aldine, Houston, Humble, North Forest and Spring Branch.
"My vision for Houston includes making it the most child friendly city in the United States where all children have the opportunity to learn and to excel," Mayor Brown said at the Houston A+ Challenge’s 1999 Grant Kickoff Ceremony, held at the University of St. Thomas. "The Houston A+ Challenge grants I am announcing today are another major step in that direction."
This is the third round of grants to reform public school education given by the Houston A+ Challenge. Including the 1999-2000 grants, the Challenge has awarded $9.275 million to public schools since 1997.
"The Houston A+ Challenge grants announced today to assist urban schools with their reform efforts will ultimately lead to teachers who are better prepared to teach, students who are better equipped to learn, and communities that are better able to support public schools," said Jonathan Day, chairman of the board of the Houston A+ Challenge and managing partner of Mayor, Day, Caldwell.
This year’s grants include $1 million toward a partnership with Project GRAD in the Wheatley High School feeder pattern of 18 elementary, middle and high schools.
The Houston A+ Challenge is a $60 million, not-for-profit public, private partnership directing the largest single sum of money ever dedicated to public school reform in the Greater Houston area. The Challenge funds school programs and leadership institutes to promote higher academic achievement by all students.
Following is a list of the schools and their 1999-2000 grant amounts:
Beacon schools:
These 11 schools have proven records of reform to serve better their diverse students. The grants are used to deepen and expand the school’s own school-wide reforms and evaluate the effectiveness of those reforms; create learning laboratories in which to refine the Challenge reform planning process, define and develop appropriate technical assistance strategies, and pilot leadership and outreach activities.
|
BEACON SCHOOLS |
FUNDING |
|
Bethune Academy |
$ 150,000 |
|
Browning Elementary |
160,000 |
|
Drew Academy |
175,000 |
|
Eisenhower High School |
350,000 |
|
Helms Learning Community |
150,000 |
|
Kennedy Elementary |
220,000 |
|
Lanier Middle School |
330,000 |
|
Poe Elementary |
175,000 |
|
Quest High School |
200,000 |
|
Scott Elementary |
100,000 |
|
Spring Shadows Elementary |
150,000 |
|
|
|
|
TOTALS |
$ 2,160,000 |
Lamplighter Learning Communities:
These 65 schools applied for Annenberg funding as clusters of schools – some with as few as two schools, one with a total of 13. The schools in these clusters are working as teams to identify the best way to meet the needs of their respective student populations, as well as the parents of students.
|
LEARNING COMMUNITIES |
FUNDING |
|
Gregory Lincoln/Condit |
$ 70,000 |
|
Reagan/Hamilton/Hogg |
100,000 |
|
Johnston/Anderson/Westbury |
100,000 |
|
YES/KIPP |
70,000 |
|
Furr/Clinton Park/Harris/Oates/Pleasantville/ |
|
|
Port Houston/Whittier/Holland |
100,000 |
|
Sharpstown HS&MS/Neff/White |
100,000 |
|
DeBakey/Revere/Clifton/Hartman/Fleming |
100,000 |
|
Briscoe/De Zavala/Gallegos/Edison |
70,000 |
|
Lamar/Gregory-Lincoln/River Oaks/Wharton/ |
|
|
Jones/Lanier/Poe/Roberts/Will Rogers/ |
|
|
Mark Twain/West University/Wilson |
100,000 |
|
Scroggins/McReynolds |
70,000 |
|
Albright/Rees |
70,000 |
|
Best/Olle |
70,000 |
|
Carver/Hoffman |
100,000 |
|
Grantham/Reed/Raymond/Stovall |
70,000 |
|
Anderson/Reece |
50,000 |
|
Hillard/Elmore |
70,000 |
|
Pine Shadows/Spring Branch |
50,000 |
|
Twain/Pershing |
70,000 |
|
Thompson/Whidby |
50,000 |
|
|
|
|
TOTALS |
$ 1,480,000 |
Floodlight Schools
: The newest category of schools, these will receive a total of $1 million this year from the Challenge to put programs from Project GRAD and the Challenge into the following schools:
|
FLOODLIGHT SCHOOLS |
|
|
Atherton Elementary |
Martinez Elementary |
|
Bruce Elementary |
Pugh Elementary |
|
Concord Elementary |
Scott Elementary |
|
Crawford Elementary |
Scroggins Elementary |
|
Dogan Elementary |
E.O. Smith Elementary/Middle |
|
Eliot Elementary |
Fleming Middle |
|
N.Q. Henderson Elementary |
McReynolds Middle |
|
Isaacs Elementary |
Wheatley High |
|
Anson Jones Elementary |
About 300 people attended the announcement breakfast at the University of St. Thomas. Guests were welcomed by University President Father J. Michael Miller. Houston A+ Challenge Board Member Jenard Gross emceed the event, while Board Chairman Jonathan Day and Board Member J. Victor Samuels presented the grant awards.
Entertainment was provided by the 5th grade Suzuki violin students from Bethune Academy in the Aldine Independent School District. Teacher Catherine Robinson, the Region IV Teacher of the Year, told guests how the Annenberg principles of reform had helped student learning at Pine Shadows Elementary in the Spring Branch Independent School District.
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