More than $1 million in private donations will be injected into a strained school budget over the next three years as Gloucester schools enter a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to invigorate the science, math and technology curricula.
The district will receive $175,000 next year, with most of the remainder of the first year's $340,000 funding going to MIT, which will provide training and services to students and teachers throughout the schools. The money has been promised to the Gloucester Educational Foundation, a private nonprofit group, by an anonymous local husband and wife.
The partnership, dubbed the Sea Initiative for its focus on maritime studies and Gloucester's inextricable relationship to the ocean, will serve as a nationwide pilot program for hands-on activities that fit into curriculum requirements for math, science and technology.
The donors have promised at least three years of funding, totaling more than $1 million, said Ed Shoucain, president of the Gloucester Educational Foundation. Gloucester Superintendent Christopher Farmer called the first year a "period of exploration" in which Gloucester would see which hands-on activities would fit into the science curriculum.
Mayor John Bell called the program a "natural fit for the community of Gloucester and Cape Ann" yesterday when announcing the grant at City Hall.
Bell cited Clarence Birdseye's innovative food freezing technique and John Hays Hammond's plethora of patents - second only to Thomas Alva Edison - as evidence of the city's innovation and leadership in science, technology and engineering.
"Let us all remember the success of a community depends, in large part, on the health of its schools," Bell said.
The announcement of the grant, which will fund positions for two curriculum coordinators, field trips to MIT's campus for workshops, learning materials and teacher development, comes at a time of fiscal crisis for the city and the schools. Officials continue to struggle with the school reorganization plan and were disappointed to learn last month that they would not be moving forward to receive state funding for school building projects.
"This doesn't make up for the fact that the school budget is underfunded," Farmer said. "We will do our best to use this resource wisely to build our science, technology and math curriculum."
The district will receive $175,000 next year, with most of the remainder of the first year's $340,000 funding going to MIT, which will provide training and services to students and teachers throughout the schools. The money has been promised to the Gloucester Educational Foundation, a private nonprofit group, by an anonymous local husband and wife.
The partnership, dubbed the Sea Initiative for its focus on maritime studies and Gloucester's inextricable relationship to the ocean, will serve as a nationwide pilot program for hands-on activities that fit into curriculum requirements for math, science and technology.
The donors have promised at least three years of funding, totaling more than $1 million, said Ed Shoucain, president of the Gloucester Educational Foundation. Gloucester Superintendent Christopher Farmer called the first year a "period of exploration" in which Gloucester would see which hands-on activities would fit into the science curriculum.
Mayor John Bell called the program a "natural fit for the community of Gloucester and Cape Ann" yesterday when announcing the grant at City Hall.
Bell cited Clarence Birdseye's innovative food freezing technique and John Hays Hammond's plethora of patents - second only to Thomas Alva Edison - as evidence of the city's innovation and leadership in science, technology and engineering.
"Let us all remember the success of a community depends, in large part, on the health of its schools," Bell said.
The announcement of the grant, which will fund positions for two curriculum coordinators, field trips to MIT's campus for workshops, learning materials and teacher development, comes at a time of fiscal crisis for the city and the schools. Officials continue to struggle with the school reorganization plan and were disappointed to learn last month that they would not be moving forward to receive state funding for school building projects.
"This doesn't make up for the fact that the school budget is underfunded," Farmer said. "We will do our best to use this resource wisely to build our science, technology and math curriculum."
The initiative pairs the city's schools with MIT's Edgerton Center, which provides hands-on educational experiences for the university's undergraduates and local school groups. Gloucester students will have the chance to travel to Cambridge and visit the lab, and the district will purchase materials with the grant money so that teachers, armed with training from MIT, can replicate some of the projects at home.
School Committee Chairman Jonathan Pope reflected on the financial changes that have overtaken the school system in his 10-year tenure on the committee. He credited the Gloucester Education Foundation with making up the gap in funding left by taxpayers.
"These people have worked hard," Pope said. "They have left no rock unturned in helping the children of Gloucester."
Farmer said that the hiring process for the program coordinator had already begun, and he hoped that one would be starting next month. That person, whose salary will be funded by the grant, will decide what projects in development at MIT would fit in with the curriculum in Gloucester, Farmer said.
Bell ticked off a few projects that students can expect: hands-on experiments with magnetic DNA strands, designing submersible robots that have to perform in underwater obstacle courses and using solar energy to design alternative vehicles. The grant will also fund a local summer science camp, where Gloucester students will be mentored by MIT students.
Shoucair said said that partnership with MIT fell into place after the foundation was told the donors were looking for a project to fund.
"The Gloucester Education Foundation defines community in a way that includes the greater Boston area," he said. The foundation approached MIT after hearing about the Edgerton Center and the partnership was born.
Farmer said that not all grades would join in the partnership at once. The new coordinator, when hired, will decide what aspects of the program are appropriate by grade level.
Private funding for engineering and technology programs in Gloucester has received a boost in recent years with the NASA and Gloucester Educational Foundation grants for an extracurricular robotics program established last year. The 50-student program received a $66,620 grant from the foundation to expand to the fifth grade last month.
Gloucester students also performed above state averages on the science portion of the MCAS last year.
Educators often cite the rapidly rising increase in science and technology jobs, which are expected to rise at a rate three times greater than other occupations in future years.
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
