Westlawn Elementary School has received a $5.2 million grant from the state for improvements to its literacy program.
"Our grant application was centered around the theme of improving literacy," said Paul Norton, Texarkana Independent School District superintendent. "We want to create an overall transformation at Westlawn. I have no doubt that this wonderfully exciting grant will allow us to do just that."
Students, staff, parents and community will celebrate from 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. today. The event will be held in the school cafeteria, 410 Westlawn Drive.
Westlawn Elementary will do a "complete literacy revamp" of the classroom and the library with books "that will help to instill a love of learning and reading among students," according to a press release.
Summer camps, field trips, afterschool programs and technology will be added for students, a spokeswoman said. Students also will receive backpacks that include more books for reading and activities for children and their parents to work together.
Students' parents and guardians will benefit from the grant through the inclusion of Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" programming. Classes will present a guide to solving problems large and small that confront families and communities, and the campus will have adult classes on technology, reading and career planning.
All teachers will be trained as literacy and mathematics specialists to build literacy through all subject areas. Teachers will have the opportunity to earn stipends and incentives through the grant years and have access to extra professional development programs, curriculum and technical support.
Of the 90 Texas schools that applied, 18 were chosen to receive the four-year Texas Title I Priority Schools grant. The Texas Education Agency distributes the funds to campuses that demonstrate the greatest need for and strongest commitment to use the funds.
TIP grant monies are made available under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.