A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

    October 2, 1996                                   Contact: David Thomas                                                                (202) 401-1576

Riley Announces 24 New Challenge Grants for Technology

"In order to ensure that all of our children have their shot at the American dream, President Clinton and I believe that we must empower them with the technological literacy they'll need to succeed in a new and ever changing information economy," Vice President Al Gore said. "The grants announced today will help us reach this goal by giving teachers, students, and schools better tools to navigate the information superhighway."

The new Challenge Grants for Technology in Education, totaling $23 million, will range in size from $300,000 to $1.5 million a year for five years. The 24 school districts will work with a total of 153 other school districts and 130 business firms in 34 states. Together, the districts and their partners will use powerful new technologies to transform their schools into information age learning centers.

"I am a firm believer in the idea that strong community involvement in our schools can make a tremendous difference in the quality of education for our children," Riley said. "These schools and their business partners will use computers and the Internet to provide exciting, concrete ways to help children and teachers prepare for the 21st Century.

"With these technologies in our schools, children will have better ways to learn to read and learn mathematics, science, English, history, languages and the arts. These grants will help open our school doors to the first class learning resources available across the country and around the world, and bring the exciting experiences and rich knowledge of our best museums and libraries into every classroom."

The recent omnibus budget agreement provides nearly $57 million for technology challenge grants in the new fiscal year -- a substantial increase from the fiscal year 1996 appropriation of $38 million and close to the president's request of $60 million. This investment assures funding for these grants and provides for a third round of new grantees.

In addition, the Congress agreed to appropriate $200 million for the president's new Technology Literacy Fund, which will enable districts to build on these local innovations. The new awards add to the 19 Challenge Grant projects announced on October 10, 1995. During their first year, the 19 projects served 1.2 million students and trained thousands of teachers to make effective use of computers in the classroom. Second year funds already have been provided to the 19 earlier grantees, allowing them to expand their reach. Riley said the impact of these efforts will be more than doubled this year, with addition of the 24 new grants announced today.

Each Challenge Grant community is a consortium of schools, businesses, libraries, museums and community organizations that have come together to match the grant with substantial commitments for computers, software development, technical support, telecommunications services and teacher training.

"These Challenge Grant communities are making a significant investment in the future of their children," Riley said. "They are taking effective steps to prepare their children for the jobs of the future."

In most cases the communities are working on integrating new technologies into state or local education reform efforts that have been stimulated by a growing national commitment to raising our education standards, as recommended in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Effective use of new technologies in these communities will contribute to improved student achievement in reading, writing, science, mathematics, history, the arts and other disciplines.

Each project will support better training for teachers and promote greater parent and community involvement in education. And each will help smooth the transition from school to careers and college by engaging students in real life learning experiences through which they can develop the life long learning skills necessary to navigate the changing economy.

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1996 Challenge Grants for Technology in Education

Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, Calif.,
$1,037,746, with $4,040,116 for five years.
Contact: James Halpin, 619-585-6281 or Barry Dragon, 619-691-5550

Hawaii State Department of Education, Honolulu, Hawaii,
$951,131, with $4,691,520 for five years.
Contact: Diana Oshiro 808-586-3307 or Marsha Mooradian 808-396-0913

Pekin Public School District #108, Pekin, Ill.,
$903,633, with $3,499,868 for five years.
Contact: Chuck Bowen, 309-346-3291 or Guy Cahill, 309-346-7276

Kirby School District #140, Tinley Park, Ill.,
$853,871, with $3,992,104 for five years.
Contact: Edward Shaffer, 708-532-6462 or Samuel Bowen

Gary Community School Corporation, Gary, Ind.,
$735,160, with $884,054 for five years.
Contact: Doreen Barrett, 219-881-5415

Hudson Public Schools, Hudson, Mass.,
$1,543,769, with $7,422,688 for five years.
Contact: Bruce Droste, 508-369-4367 or Robert Tinker, 508-371-3476

Lawrence Public Schools, Lawrence, Mass.,
$643,875, with $4,739,284 for five years.
Contact: Patricia Knox, 508-975-5905 or Susan O'Neill 508-975-5905 x307

Old Orchard Beach School District, Old Orchard Beach, Maine,
$769,403, with $3,532,679 for five years.
Contact: Kathleen Lee, 207-934-5751 or Deborah Smith, 207-780-5315

Melvindale - Northern Allen Park Schools, Melvindale, Mich.,
$1,373,316, with $6,495,677 for five years.
Contact: Daniel Schultz 517-432-6202 or Barbara Markle 517-353-8950

Independence Missouri School District, Independence, Mo.,
$406,814, with $1,933,763 for five years.
Contact: Marcia Haskin, 816-521-2700 or Doug Allen

Kansas City Missouri School District, Kansas City, Mo.,
$732,761, with $3,201,695 for five years.
Contact: Tina Littlejohn, 816-418-7146 or Greg Harlan, 816-561-7785

Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, N.C.,
$1,152,475, with $4,901,464 for five years.
Contact: Charles Morris, 910-370-8396 or Michael Parrish, 910-370-8009

Seward Public Schools, Seward, Neb.,
$907,653, with $4,392,109 for five years.
Contact: Marhall Adams, 402-643-2941 or Dean Bergman, 402-471-5023

Community School District One, New York, N.Y.,
$1,468,397, with $6,131,170 for five years.
Contact: Judith Zornberg, 212-602-9730 or Paul Ringel, 212-602-9736

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, N.Y.,
$1,500,037, with $7,094,741 for five years.
Contact: Robert McClintock, 212-678-3375 or Priscilla Ellington, 212-348-7821

Corning City School District, Painted Post, N.Y.,
$327,650, with $846,631 for five years.
Contact: Michael Bracy, 607-936-3704 or Eileen Bowen, 607-936-0536

Greene County Vocational-Technical Schools, Carmichaels, Pa.,
$767,287, with $2,535,537 for five years.
Contact: Jim Zalar, 412-966-5045 or Richard Noftziger, 412-852-3384

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Nashville, Tenn.,
$1,047,925, with $5,156,492 for five years.
Contact: Esther Swink, 615-298-8432 or Susan Goldman, 615-322-8070

Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk, Va.,
$1,246,640, with $5,971,732 for five years.
Contact: Moira Rankin, 202-885-1283 or Anna Maria de Freitas, 202-885-1281

Franklin Public Schools, Rocky Mount, Va.,
$388,870, with $1,478,355 for five years.
Contact: Betty Blair, 540-483-5105 or Tammy McGraw

Olympia School District, Olympia, Wash.,
$744,894, with $3,754,173 for five years.
Contact: Dennis Harper, 360-753-8835 or Pam Farr, 360-753-8961

Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, Wash.,
$1,564,864, with $7,305,807 for five years.
Contact: John Thorp, 206-298-7135 or Joyce Vail 206-281-6008

Monongalia County Board of Education, Morgantown, W.Va.,
$825,764, with $4,170,704 for five years.
Contact: Lydotta Taylor, 304-366-2577

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