From March until May, students and teachers had to adjust to a new reality of extended eLearning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, schools can apply for state money that will help them fund various remote learning needs, including adding more digital devices, making sure all students have internet access at home and increasing professional development and curricular opportunities for teachers, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
Traditional public school corporations, public charter schools, accredited non-public schools, higher education institutions and other education-related entities are eligible to apply for the funding. The state expects to award dozens of grants through the program, which is a collaboration between the governor’s office, the Indiana Department of Education, the Commission for Higher Education and the State Board of Education.
Some local schools plan to apply, but are still working out the details, officials said this week. The schools will be applying for parts of the $61.6 million in funding Indiana received as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, which was put in the state’s Emergency Education Relief, or GEER, Fund until it can be distributed to schools, according to the news release.
Center Grove and Indian Creek schools will apply for the grant by the July 17 deadline, but administrators are still deciding what needs they will look to address with the money, spokespeople for both said.
Clark-Pleasant Community Schools, if approved, would use the money to supply all of its students in kindergarten through third grade with Chromebooks, as students in all other grades have similar devices. Administrators also want to use the financial assistance to buy devices to help students who have issues connecting to the internet at home, said Kimberly Fifer, associate superintendent.
Edinburgh Community Schools would use the money to improve internet connectivity during eLearning, and add to its professional development opportunities, Superintendent Doug Arnold said.
“We have about 10 homes that needed internet connection and we want to fill that gap, and professional development is always a concern,” Arnold said. “Anything we can put into professional development to improve skills using eLearning is important.”
Administrators at Greenwood Community Schools haven’t finalized the district’s grant application, but said the money would likely go toward technology purchases to improve the eLearning experience, Superintendent Kent DeKoninck said.
“We may look at more student devices, but also too some items that might help our teachers work through classroom instruction—some more cameras or (other) devices to help them do more recording of lessons or some live lessons. But those are only a couple thoughts we had,” DeKoninck said. “With it just being so new, we haven’t really had a chance to plan.”
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Here is a look at the three categories Indiana schools can apply for eLearning grants in:
- Device Ability: Adding devices for eLearning
- Connectivity: Addressing internet connectivity issues for students
- Educator Capacity: Increasing professional development and curricular opportunities for educators
Source: State of Indiana
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