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Initiatives for Excellence is the major grant program within the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation. The Initiatives for Excellence committee, composed of Educational Foundation board members and qualified community members, reviews and researches grant applications from the District Superintendent and makes recommendations to the Educational Foundation Board for funding. The Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation makes final funding decisions. The guiding principle of Initiatives for Excellence is, "All Students, All Schools". In addition, programs funded must be aligned with the Stratgic Plan of the Ann Arbor Public Schools. The committee also provides ongoing oversight of funded grants to assure the success of the programs and responsible stewardship of the awarded funds. Volunteer Program Coordinators are assigned to each program. Funding for Initiatives for Excellence during the 2011-2012 academic year is the result of generous contributions to the One Million Reasons Campaign in 2011. The Campaign ran from April 1, 2011 - October 30, 20101. Below we detail programs funded through the generosity of individuals and businesses in Ann Arbor. |
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Initiatives for Excellence grants for the 2011-2012 school year. Elementary Enrichment Facilitators: $23,000 Awarded. This grant awarded for elementary school enrichment coordinators will provide funding to secure the staffing infrastructure necessary for development and implementation of enrichment programming across all elementary schools which seek to strengthen our schools by offering guidance, resources and communication to faculty about enrichment activities. Each elementary school cluster is served by one professional who evaluates enrichment activities at the individual schools, meeting with principals and teachers. Most schools prefer to have the enrichment be during the school day rather than before or after school, but programs remain at the discretion of the schools. To learn more about the Elementary Enrichment Framework, click here. ACT’s PLAN Assessments: $13,000 Awarded. In 2006 Governor Granholm signed into law, new graduation requirements called the Michigan Merit Curriculum. As part of this new law, the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) now includes an ACT component; and the MME is now a graduation requirement for Ann Arbor Students. The ACT’s Educational Planning and Assessment System is an integrated series of assessment and career planning programs designed to help students increase their academic readiness for college. The following are benefits from using ACT’s system: increased educational achievement; students take more college preparatory courses in high school; increases students’ college readiness; promotes educational and career planning; promotes college readiness of underrepresented minority students; and, promotes educational achievement in college, college enrollments, and retention in college. The PLAN assessment will be administered to all tenth graders (1445). Guidance counselors will coordinate parent meetings to assist in interpretation of results. Fifth Grade Instrumental Music Program: $4,000 Awarded. The Ann Arbor Public Schools have earned several Grammy Awards over the years for their music programs at Huron and Pioneer High Schools. We believe that part of the reason for such renowned success is the fifth grade instrumental music program in the Ann Arbor Public Schools where every student plays and is coached in a musical instrument throughout the year. AAPSEF is proud to support this district wide program with funding support for repair and maintenance of instruments. This program will impact the fifth grade instrumental music program this year (1,186 students) and for years to come. Environmental Science Program Funding Support for Field Trips: $23,133 Awarded. The philosophy of the Science and Environmental Education Program is to support and enhance the curriculum with "out of classroom" education experiences stressing knowledge, characteristics, interrelationships, stewardship and an appreciation of our natural resources. The Environmental Education Program was founded in 1960 and the Planetarium Program was founded in 1956. The Argus Planetarium at Pioneer High School is the oldest known public school planetarium in the US. Specific field trips funded are for all first graders(1,318) to experience Examining Winter Animals at Kensington Metropark; for all third graders (1,253) to experience the Argus Palnetarium. Air Tracks for Physics: Up to $59,000 Awarded. AAPSEF was fortunate to be the recipient of a $50,000 gift from IMRA America. I MRA’s gift will be used for the purchase of Air Tracks physics equipment for each of the six AAPS high schools offering physics. The Air Tracks equipment will allow the approximately 900 students in the district who take physics each year to conduct dynamic experiments to illustrate a variety of physics concepts. With an anticipated functional life of up to ten years, some 9,000 students will benefit from this investment. Total cost for district-wide upgrades and distribution is estimated to be $59,000. Inspired by a challenge gift from the local branch of Dykema, Harvest Dinner attendees pledged the remaining $9,000 within five minutes. |
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