Wayzata Schools Foundation Awards Grants

 According to a Wayzata Public Schools Education Foundation press release:

The Wayzata Public Schools Education Foundation announced two curriculum-based projects were selected as part of its 2012 "From Excellent to Exceptional" grant program. The projects are in the areas of staff peer coaching and alternative education. 
 
This year, the Foundation considered seven projects and selected two that will extend the regular curriculum in collaborative and innovative ways. The selected projects will receive more than $11,780 in grant funding the Foundation and the Wayzata Public School District for 2012-2013 programming.

The 2012 recipients projects include:

• Enhancing Peer Coaching Technology to Improve Student Learning: Providing accurate feedback to teachers is one of the most important practices that improve student learning. In the Wayzata School District, 13 peer coaches serve more than 750 educators who, in turn, instruct approximately 10,200 students. The Foundation purchased iPads to help facilitate accurate feedback to teachers from peer coaches. Using this system, teachers can immediately see and hear the instruction and student interaction of a particular lesson, and benefit from feedback that directly relates to the objectives of the peer coaching session.

• Increasing Middle School Alternative Academic Achievement through Individualized Educational Programming: Students in the Middle School Alternative Program qualify under one of twelve characteristics, including, but not limited to, homelessness, chemical dependency, abuse in the home or significant academic need. The Middle Alternative Program at Wayzata East Middle School develops individualized instruction to help at-risk students find success inside and outside of the classroom. In support of this important objective, the Foundation purchased iPads to be used by students in this program to improve overall academic engagement and technology awareness. The technology will also be used to improve student achievement and increase standardized test performance.

“The programs funded this year touch different academic areas than we have funded in the past, and will directly or indirectly benefit every student in the district,” said Michael Hagerty, WPSEF board-co-chair. "It is exciting to see teachers using technology in ways that will enhance student learning, extend the regular curriculum and motivate students through non-traditional learning techniques."

Since 2007, "From Excellent to Exceptional" grant program has provided more than $100,000 to projects in the Wayzata Public Schools in a variety of academic areas, including reading and literacy, sensory research, math, environmental science and special education, to name a few.

In 2007, the Foundation also built the Ropes Challenge Course at Wayzata High School, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based collaborative approach to enhance physical education curriculum.

 “None of these projects would be possible without the generosity of past and current WPSEF supporters,” said Jenny DeWall, WPSEF board co-chair. “We are grateful that our community values the education of Wayzata’s exceptional students.”

About The Wayzata Public Schools Education Foundation
The Wayzata Public Schools Education Foundation was formed in June 2003 by a group of concerned parents and community leaders who wanted to ensure academic excellence across the district despite unreliable state and federal funding for public schools. The Foundation's sole focus is to maintain and sustain the high quality of education in the Wayzata Public Schools. WPSEF is a fund of the Minnesota Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.wpsef.org.