Teachers at Boulder’s Centennial Middle School saw a need for more support in math, and several were already using an online math program they liked.
So Principal John McCluskey applied for a $3,000 Impact on Education grant to buy access to IXL Math for all the school’s students. After discussions with Boulder Valley School District leaders, Impact now is paying for access to the program for all middle schools this school year.
“A big thing about math, as soon as you lose your confidence, you tell yourself ‘I don’t do math,’ ” he said. “This really helps them build their confidence. The biggest thing we’re trying to do is have kids see themselves as capable as mathematicians.”
He said the online program is user friendly, differentiates based on skill level and gives immediate feedback. Along with helping students who lost ground during the pandemic, he said, he’s hopeful the program will help more Latinx students access higher level math classes.
“For our Latinx students to see themselves in advanced math, we have to build their confidence in the foundational pieces,” he said. “It’s so important to get everybody on the same level of access.”
Last school year, Impact on Education, the foundation for Boulder Valley schools, piloted a Student Academic Support Fund to meet individual needs on a case-by-case basis. This school year, the foundation expanded the grant program to include educators with innovative ideas, combining the the Student Academic Support Fund with the longstanding Classroom Innovation Grant program.
The combined fund is providing $100,000 to support specific school and student needs. Out of 60 applications received, 50 were funded. An additional six requesting funding were connected to the school district to provide support.
The average amount of each request was less than $2,000, though requests ranged from $100 to $20,000. Fifteen community volunteers evaluated the applications and provided feedback on funding decisions.
On the high end, Lafayette’s Centaurus High School is starting a drop-in tutoring center through an almost $10,000 grant. Assistant Principal Carlyn Carroll said students asked for tutoring through a school survey, requesting space for one-to-one support, peer study groups and teacher support while working on assignments.
She said the school will hold two afternoon sessions and one working session a week for 20 weeks, starting Dec. 6. Four teachers from different content areas will staff each session. The school also plans to add tutors through a partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder’s ATLAS program.
Multiple high schools also requested RTD bus passes for students, including Fairview, Centaurus and Arapahoe Ridge. Working with the school district, Impact bought 10,000 bus passes to give to school community liaisons.
Another proposal that was funded is covering the cost of instrument repairs for students in financial need who are using school provided instruments.
Aubrey Yeh, the district’s east network language arts and humanities coordinator, said the need for district provided instruments has increased in the last couple of years, with several hundred instruments provided to students.
She said the Impact money will primarily benefit fifth graders because they’re the main group checking out district instruments. Middle and high schools generally manage their own inventories of loaner instruments.
“At times, these instruments break down and need to be repaired,” she said. “We ask families to help with paying for repairs, but it is not possible in all circumstances. This money ensures that we are able to take care of repairs and not let a broken instrument become a barrier to participating in their music education.”
She added that the demographics of the district’s music groups don’t always reflect the demographics of the community.
“This change has to start by giving all of our beginners access to the tools needed to learn to play,” she said. “I can’t count the number of times when I was teaching that I had a student come up to me and say, ‘I can’t do this, my parents can’t pay for it.’ The light in their eyes when I told them that we could take care of it and get them an instrument is unforgettable.”
At Louisville Elementary, first grade teacher Sarah Whitehead requested money to add Spanish language picture books to classroom libraries. She said her school has a growing population of Spanish speaking students, including nine in her classroom.
“Texts to enjoy in Spanish is a huge thing for students to have resources and feel included,” she said. ” When you’re just beginning to read, it’s super important to have bilingual texts.”
She worked with the school librarian to identify books that would work for the school’s kindergarten through second grade classrooms, ordering leveled readers plus children’s classics in Spanish through Scholastic.
“It was important that students could see the classic books that they’re really interested in in their home language,” she said. “I’m super excited to get the books.”
