Investment will revamp math and science learning in grades K-12
ERIE, Pa. (April 19, 2007) --The School District of the City of Erie (SDCE) has been awarded a $15 million, five-year grant from the GE Foundation's College Bound District Program, the district and the Company announced today. The grant, the largest nongovernment grant awarded to the school district, is designed to improve student achievement and increase college readiness through comprehensive school/business/community collaboration.
The grant was announced this morning at Strong Vincent High School to a crowd of 900guests, which included students, teachers, parents and special guests. In attendance was Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Bob Corcoran -- President of the GE Foundation, John Dineen -- President & CEO of GE Transportation, Bill Conaty, Senior Vice President, GEHuman Resources, Dr. James E. Barker, School District of Erie Superintendent, CarolLaskowski -- President of the Erie Education Association and Rebecca Martin -- President of the Board of Education.
The grant is part of the GE Foundation's College Bound District Program (CBDP), a $100million dollar investment to help increase the number of college ready students in targeted school districts across the country.
"The GE Foundation's $15 million vote of confidence in the students, teachers, administrators and board will enable the Erie School District to accelerate its efforts of building a world-class learning opportunity for all students," said Dr. Barker. "This significant event in Pennsylvania's educational history will break the sound barrier of accomplishments in math, science and technology for the students and families of Erie. Thanks to the GE Foundation's College Bound District Program, the Erie School District will deliver internationally competitive graduates. A brighter future will be illuminated with our new global partners, the GE Foundation and GE -- Transportation."
"We are delighted that the GE Foundation has chosen to support the Erie school district," said John Dineen, president and CEO of GE Transportation. "For 100 years, GE has been an integral part of the Erie community. This grant helps us celebrate the past while planting a seed for our community's future. We all benefit when students are better educated in the areas of math and science."
Final work to receive the grant started more than six months ago by a grant writing team made of up SDCE employees and GE leaders. During that time, the team outlined a detailed five-year enhancement plan with means of measuring progress and success. As a result, actions to be taken through the grant are aligned with the district's overall strategic plan.
The plan recognizes that both professional development and professional learning communities are essential to the CBDP's success. Teachers will have many opportunities to increase their content knowledge, enhance their technology skills, and collaborate with other educators to elevate the quality of instruction. These efforts will create a more effective learning environment and experience for students. The grant also outlines a plan to incorporate GE Volunteers and the entire Erie community to support the students and teachers impacted by the CBDP.
In 2006, the GE Foundation awarded the Stamford, Connecticut school district a $15 million grant and a $20 million to the public school system of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Foundation began the CBDP in 2005 with a $25 million grant to the Louisville, Kentucky school district. The amount of the grants is based on the size and unique needs of each school district.
The College Bound Program enables school districts to improve in six areas: curriculum, professional development, management capacity, constituency engagement, GEvolunteers, and evaluation. For more information on the College Bound Program, go to http://www.ge.com/foundation.
About the School District City of Erie
The Mission of the SDCE is to is to ensure academic, personal, and vocational success for the individual, with a focus on school-age youth, by using state-of-the-art technology as a catalyst to optimize the delivery of individualized instruction, and to challenge students to realize their potential.
About the GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to strengthen educational access, equity, and quality for disadvantaged youth globally and supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world.
About GE - Transportation
GE - Transportation, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), delivers technology solutions for the rail, marine, mining and energy industries. Products and services include freight and passenger locomotives, diesel engines for marine and stationary power applications and motorized systems for mining trucks and drills.
Contact: Patrick Jarvis
GE Transportation
(814) 875-3457
Ashley Biletnikoff
GE Transportation
(814) 875-2742
Chris Banocy