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April 17, 2006
Education News and Notes
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Best Buy delivered $5 million in new computer equipment to Mississippi and Louisiana schools damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. "We see classroom technology — namely, computers — as a critical, necessary means to help students succeed while our communities recover and rebuild," said Brad Anderson, Best Buy vice chairman and CEO.
Best Buy sponsored a visit by basketball hall of famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson at Richfield Middle School on March 23. Johnson spoke about leadership, diversity in school and the importance of embracing people from different cultures. In conjunction with Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, the event was part of a national retail promotion to raise money for inner city children via the Magic Johnson Foundation. Best Buy has supported the middle school through the four-year, $1 million grant to the Richfield Kids Technology Initiative, which supports technology programs and tools for educational purposes.
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Blandin Foundation awarded $1.5 million for the continued support for Invest Early, a program for early childhood education designed to support to at-risk families in the Grand Rapids area. The program has provided staff and classrooms for full-day and part-time Head Start students. The foundation also gave $30,000 over two years for KIDS PLUS summer youth activities. The grants were part of a $3.3 million announcement in March. |
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The
CHS Foundation will award 25 college scholarships in celebration of the 75th anniversary of CHS Inc. The $1,000 scholarships are available to high school juniors who will graduate in 2007. "These 75th Celebration scholarships will provide greater opportunities for our most thoughtful leaders of tomorrow, while honoring the past and future contributions of one of America's most successful cooperatives," said Michael Toelle, chairman of the foundation's board of trustees. "We're planting the seeds for an even brighter future." |
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The
Northwest Minnesota Foundation's Marshall County Early Childhood Initiative is offering the opportunity for every county child up to age five to receive a monthly book by mail from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The initiative will provide part of the funding, and local contributions will add the balance of the cost. Other projects under discussion include summer programming to connect school-based early childhood programs and family child care, and assisting parents who work out of town with transportation for their children for School Readiness and Head Start preschool programs. |
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Cargill awarded a $300,000 grant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation for a program, in conjunction with the American School Health Association (ASHA), that will give mini-grants to U.S. elementary schools to improve their physical activity and nutrition policies and programs. The program will allow 47 schools, including four in Minnesota, to use the mini-grants to build walking tracks, improve physical education curricula, increase healthy food choices and more. "We know schools in our communities are working hard to educate students about these important issues but have very limited resources," said Michelle Grogg, Cargill's director of corporate contributions. "Cargill is pleased to partner with the CDC Foundation, CDC and ASHA to support these activities." |
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The
Southwest Minnesota Foundation awarded grants totaling $94,439 in January and February. Education-related grants included $10,000 to host the "Seize the Opportunity: Invest in our Youngest Children" community conference; $2,500 to establish the Early Childhood Initiative coalition in Mountain Lake; and $2,500 for Willmar Community Education and Recreation for a new position that will provide leadership to the local coalition. |
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The
Rochester Area Foundation
is inviting families to schedule a free kindergarten check-in. A
check-in, which is conducted by early childhood education specialists,
tests a child's vision, hearing and growth and is required by law before
starting school.
The foundation's new First Steps initiative awarded $48,000 in scholarships to preschoolers, allowing 27 children from low-income families to attend preschool for six months. During the next five years, the foundation expects to spend $4.3 million on the initiative, which ensures children are ready for school when they enter kindergarten. |
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IBM and the Computer Science Teachers Association will collaborate to accelerate computer science and technology skills among high school students by providing 36,000 teachers with free access to computer science resources, including lesson plans, guidebooks and topic overviews that incorporate concepts of computer programming and web design into math and science classes.
IBM is also enabling employees to become fully accredited teachers in their local communities once they leave the company through its Transition to Teaching program, helping to address the critical shortage of math and science teachers. IBM will reimburse participants up to $15,000 for tuition and stipends while they student-teach, and will provide online mentoring and other support services in conjunction with partner colleges, universities and school districts.
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