Thousands of Nevada students will benefit from a $585,838 grant to help low-income students have greater access to and perform better in advanced courses, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced today. On behalf of Secretary Paige, regional representative Donna Foxley and U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons presented the grant to representatives from the state Department of Education in Carson City.

The grant is part of the No Child Left Behind Act's Advanced Placement Incentives program and is a competitive two-year award to increase the number of students in middle and high school who take and succeed in advanced courses.

"Each and every child in Nevada and our great nation deserves a quality education," said Secretary Paige. "This program provides the opportunity for all students to benefit from taking tough courses, and we know that challenging classes make students more likely to continue their studies and help them succeed in higher education."

The No Child Left Behind Act is the bipartisan landmark education reform law designed to change the culture of America's schools by closing the achievement gap among groups of students, offering more flexibility to states, giving parents more options and teaching students based on what works. Under the act's strong accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency.

The state of Nevada will use the funds to make grants to local school districts serving schools with 40 percent or more low-income students. The grants will enable the identified school districts to develop and align pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement programs at the middle and high school levels, as well as to pay for professional development for teachers. In addition, before-school, after-school, weekend and summer classes that strengthen students' critical thinking skills will be supported.

The AP Incentives program is part of the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement, which was established by Secretary Paige in September 2002 to make strategic investments in promising practices and widely disseminate their results. The office also leads the movement for greater parental options and information in education.

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