As reported by the Governor’s Office, Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the first recipients of $5.5 million in total grants from two funds—the Digital Learning Innovation Fund and the Early College Innovation Fund. This funding is intended to promote programs that prepare students for jobs in the 21st Century economy. According to the press release,
The Digital Learning Innovation Fund helps local school systems maximize the potential of new and emerging technologies to improve the teaching and learning environment and to better prepare all students for the workforce of today and the future. Six school systems plus the statewide SEED school will receive a total of $3.5 million to fund initiatives that help them transition to comprehensive digital learning environments that fundamentally change the interaction between teachers and students.
The Early College Innovation Fund supports efforts in Maryland to increase access to postsecondary education and help students obtain the credentials necessary to compete for jobs in growing sectors of the state’s economy. Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is funding partnerships of local school systems and higher education institutions to create or expand early college access . . . Grant recipients include:
- Chesapeake College Partnering with Caroline County Public Schools
- Community College of Baltimore County partnering with Baltimore County Public Schools
- Hagerstown Community College partnering with Washington County Public Schools
- Howard County Public Schools partnering with Howard Community College
- Montgomery County Public Schools partnering with Montgomery College
- Prince George’s Community College partnering Prince George’s County Public Schools, Chesapeake Math and Information Technology Academy, Bowie State University, Capitol College, University of Maryland University College, Lockheed Martin, Agemo Technology, Inc., and Prince George’s County Government Office of Information Technology.
Baltimore County Public School Executive Director of the Department of Digital Learning, Ryan Imbriale, stated
“The Maryland Innovation Fund grant will provide our schools with an opportunity to move our instructional digital conversion forward by developing a personalized K-2 English Language Arts curriculum that meets the needs of our learners. . . We are excited that this grant provides the funding to be able to pilot this program in three of our elementary schools.”
A press release of the Baltimore County Public School describes the grant project in detail,
Baltimore County Public Schools were awarded an $800,000 grant from the Maryland Digital Learning Innovation Fund to develop a digital curriculum for English language arts. The curriculum, which will focus on providing personalized English language arts instruction through digital learning, will be piloted for the 2014-2015 school year with all kindergarten through Grade 2 students at Edmondson Heights, Lansdowne and Powhatan elementary schools.
For more information, see the full press release from the Office of the Governor or the press release from Baltimore County.