Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) has been awarded a 5-year, $1 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Partnership. As DoDEA’s top priority for all military-connected students to be College and Career Ready (CCR) this award will allow increased access of STEM opportunities and literacy support in grades 3-8, which are vitally important to successfully meet the high demands of today’s colleges, careers, and citizenship responsibilities.
STEM READ-I will boost CUSD’s continuing efforts to improve student learning. The goals of STEM READ-I are to increase STEM opportunities for military- connected students in grades 6-8 and to improve achievement of military-connected students in grades 3-5 in reading which is the foundation for college and STEM career readiness. The grant will provide STEM opportunities for students in grades 6-8 by providing funding for courses and curricula, as well as In-class Curriculum and Instruction Supports for students in grades 3-5.
Being awarded the STEM READ-I grant to support our efforts in designing engaging experiences for CUSD students is a testament to our stewardship of previous DoDEA funding and a demonstration of their confidence in our commitment ensuring the best opportunities for all students. While DoDEA grants are designed to support military-connected students, every child in our district will benefit from these resources.
Since 2009, CUSD has been the direct recipient of 6.35 million dollars from five DoDEA grants to support a range of needs of military-connected students, and all CUSD students. Representing nearly 40% of all students, military connected students are the largest subgroup in CUSD and have unique needs due to frequent transitions and parent deployments. Past grant goals have included science and engineering, technology, mathematics, and integrated arts. Significant components of each grant include personalized learning initiatives and professional development for teachers.
The current school year is a planning year for STEM READ-I, with full implementation beginning in 2019-20.
