Two FSD3 Schools to Benefit From Literacy Grant

Two FSD3 Schools to Benefit From Literacy Grant
Posted on 10/14/2021

Two Florence School District 3 schools will benefit from a $2.8 million Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant from the US Department of Education awarded to ArtsNOW for its program, “REimagining and Accelerating Literacy through Arts Integration (REAL).”

J.C. Lynch Elementary School and Lake City Early Childhood Center are among the ArtsNOW partners in the project.

“We are thrilled that this grant will provide Art and Literacy integration at two of our schools,” said Dr. Laura Hickson, FSD3 Superintendent. “Research indicates that the arts integrated with core content improves student achievement.”

The IAL program supports high-quality programs designed to develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through grade 12 in high-need local educational agencies and schools.

REAL will foster students’ literacy achievement through professional development designed to  build the capacity of teachers and media specialists to plan and deliver integrated instruction, while also contributing significantly to school library collections through the purchase of developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant books. In addition, this project will include parent events to provide families with access to books and other content about how to support their child’s reading development. Each year, REAL will serve approximately 3,200 students and 170 teachers, media specialists, and literacy coaches across six high-need schools.

 

ArtsNOW is a national non-profit that offers customized solutions to improve teacher efficacy and student results through authentic arts integration.