Scottsbluff Public Schools is proud to announce that the district has been awarded a five-year Literacy Advancement Initiative Grant from the Sherwood Foundation totaling $2,947,103. The grant supports all aspects of literacy instruction for grades PK-5, including intervention resources, literacy materials and staff training. Jadie Beam, English language arts content area specialist, led the grant-writing effort and will oversee its implementation.
One of the largest components of the grant is Science of Reading training for K-5 staff. Science of Reading training provides educators with evidence-based professional development rooted in decades of cognitive science research on how the human brain actually learns to read. Both elementary teachers and paraeducators will have the opportunity to participate.
“We are deeply grateful to receive this $2.9 million literacy grant," said Dr. Andrew Dick, Superintendent. "It represents a tremendous opportunity to strengthen literacy instruction across our district and better support every student as they develop the reading skills they need to succeed. We appreciate the investment in our students, educators, and community, and we look forward to advancing literacy outcomes for our students.”
For the district’s youngest learners, the grant will fund Parent Literacy Nights and Playground Story Walks at Bear Cub Preschool, as well as a pre-K literacy transition teacher who will provide direct literacy instruction to prepare students for kindergarten.
Building on a successful pilot with K-2 reading interventionists, the grant will expand those efforts to include two grade 3-5 reading intervention teachers, starting with the 2027-2028 school year, and will fund all intervention materials and training for these positions.
Including this recently received award, Scottsbluff Public Schools has received more than $15.5 million in competitive grant funding over the past eight years. Additional competitive grants received by the district include the Sixpence Grant for Early Childhood Education, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers After School Program grants at all elementary schools, Early Childhood Expansion Grants for Bear Cub Preschool, School Climate Transformation Grant, School-Based Mental Health Grant, Nebraska Educator Shortage Grant, the Comprehensive State Literacy Development Grant and the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Grant for safety and security.
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Scottsbluff Public Schools
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