Schools
Round Rock ISD Awards $1.9 Million In Grants To Various Campuses
Grants designed to '...explore, enrich or design an exemplary model of innovation to serve students and the community.'
ROUND ROCK, TX -- School district officials recently awarded $1.9 million in Innovative School Grants to 34 of its campuses, officials said.
The grants come with a challenge to the winning schools to "...explore, enrich or design an exemplary model of innovation to serve students and the community." Ranging from $7,5o0 to $100,000, the grants align with the first goal of the Round Rock ISD Strategic Plan, which states that "...we will implement, enhance and support innovative teachings and learning models.”
The grants are funded through 2016-2017 budget allocations, awarded through an internal application and interview process.
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“To be the Destination District for Public Schools, we must empower our students and staff to create destination schools,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steve Flores said in a prepared statement. “The Innovation School Grants are an exciting opportunity for our schools to be creative and think outside of the box to benefit our students and community.”
The Innovative School Grants consist of three tiers: Tier I: Explore, Tier II: Enrich and Tier III: Exemplar. The latter grants will be awarded Sept. 30, district officials said.
Tier I grants provide up to $50,000 over a one-year period to allow a campus to investigate and explore an innovative practice or model within a small scope, according to district officials. The one-year period provides campuses an opportunity to determine the effectiveness and sustainability of the learning model, they added.
The following schools received Tier I grants ranging from $11,250 to $50,000:
Anderson Mill Elementary School: Extended Apprenticeship $50,000
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The Extended Apprenticeship will be modeled and adapted from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PY) Career Program and the already existing Anderson Mill Apprenticeship Program. Students will have classes that extend their learning in career fields that provide hands-on opportunities while gaining math, science, reading, and critical thinking skills.
Bluebonnet Elementary School: Discovery Hour Student Enrichment, $34,550
Bluebonnet Elementary School: Bluebonnet University — The Learning Never Stops, $49,385
Callison And Spicewood Elementary Schools: Elementary Music In The 21st Century, $15,262
Jollyville Elementary School: Full STEAM Ahead In 2016-2017, $33,550
McNeil High School: Jinx Lacey Memorial Library (JLML) Learning Commons, $30,000
Round Rock High School: Pre-ACT For College Readiness, $11,250
Sommer Elementary School: Learning Spaces In All Places, $33,193
Spicewood Elementary School: The IB PYP Inquiry Lab, $50,000
Union Hill Elementary School: Flexible Learning Environments, $18,750
Tier II grants provide up to $100,000 over a one-year period to allow a campus to improve and enhance a current instructional model or design to create a higher quality innovative campus.
The following schools received Tier II grants up to $100,000:
Berkman Elementary School: Rolling Out The Red Carpet For Berkman Arts Integration Academy, $100,000
The campus theme this year will be “Berkman Arts Integration Academy: A Premier Year.” The grant will enhance Berkman Elementary School’s transition as the school “rolls out the red carpet” for the Arts Integration Academy by providing extended day opportunities for students in their areas of interest, as well as support for teachers implementing arts integration during the school day.
C.D. Fulkes Middle School: Sparking The Arts: Art And Academic Integration, $70,000
Cactus Ranch Elementary School: School Of Communication, $97,835
Callison Elementary School: SPARK - Seeking Physical Activity Regularly For Kids, $71,616
Caraway Elementary School: Caraway Academy: Enrich, Inspire, Innovate, Achieve!, $65,000
Chisholm Trail Middle School: Flexible Learning Styles, $74,261
Double File Trail Elementary School: Leader In Me Enhanced Coaching, $31,414
Deerpark Middle School: Culturally Connecting Classrooms, $43,934
England Elementary School: PBL And STEAM: A Perfect Fit For Generation Z, $35,000
Fern Bluff Elementary School: Project Lead The Way’s Launch At Fern Bluff, $67,008
Great Oaks Elementary School: Leadership Academy — The Leader In Me, $100,000
Grisham Middle School: Grisham Is Innovation By Design, $100,000
Hernandez Middle School: Growing STEM Learners The Hernandez Way, $99,957
Laurel Mountain Elementary School: Accessibility, Inclusion, Performance: Natural Play Area, $75,000
Round Rock: Globe For All, $48,952
Sommer Elementary School: Stallion Innovation Station, $33,299
Stony Point High School: Increasing IB Participation Through MYP Authorization, $100,000
Additionally, several campuses received $7,500 each to purchase flexible furniture and to facilitate the continuance of creating an innovative climate for students and teachers:
- Canyon Vista Middle School,
- Cedar Ridge High School,
- Double File,
- England,
- Fern Bluff,
- Gattis Elementary School,
- Hopewell Middle School,
- McNeil,
- Ridgeview Middle School and
- Voigt Elementary School.
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