Grant Will Help Students in Gifted, Talented Program
Posted on: Wednesday, 13 February 2008, 00:00 CST
By Karen Colbenson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Feb. 12--Gifted and talented students will be the focus on another phase of funding Austin Public Schools will receive from the Hormel Foundation.
The foundation recently approved a third phase of funding that will allow the district to hire 3 1/2 full-time equivalent teaching positions that will focus entirely on gifted and talented students. The program will begin this summer, and a total of $810,740 will be distributed over a three-year period.
It is the third funding announcement the foundation has made over the past year. The foundation announced in September 2007 that it would provide the school district $2.8 million to promote the increasingly important areas of math and science. A $1.3 million grant has allowed 95 teachers to begin earning advanced degrees in the areas of math, science and literacy from the University of Minnesota. An additional $1.5 million grant will be used to expand of the existing science labs at the high school.
According to Superintendent Candace Raskin, the foundation, in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Education, decided on a third phase of funding because the first two phases primarily affect secondary education.
"(The first two phases) allowed us to provide some high level classes in grades six through 12," said Raskin. "The idea (for the third phase) is that elementary teachers will be working with students at the elementary level. This would be an area we would never have enough funding to do."
All students identified as high potential will benefit from this program, said Raskin.
Southgate and Banfield Elementary schools will each get one full-time teacher for gifted and talent students. Neveln and Sumner Elementary schools and Woodson Kindergarten Center each will have a half-time teacher.
Up to 10 teachers will be selected for the certificate program and will receive training from St. Marys University.
According to Raskin, the newest program includes other major components as well. Students enrolled in the University of Minnesota Talented Young Mathematics Program in Rochester and the Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth summer enrichment program will receive free tuition and transportation.
"UMTYMP takes about the top 3 percent of kids in the nation in math," said Raskin. "It's for the truly gifted math students. In the past, parents have had to pay the tuition and transport the students to Rochester. This will take that burden off of them."
In addition, two students will be chosen to attend the summer enrichment camp for free.
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Source: Post-Bulletin
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