HOPE, Ark. - The school district here has been awarded a $100,000 literacy education grant through a program administered by the Arkansas Department of Education.
Dr. Bobby Hart, superintendent of Hope Public Schools, said school improvement specialist Carla Narlesky spearheaded the effort.
Narlesky said the Successful Outcomes for Arkansas Readers grant will create new opportunities.
"Being a recipient of the SOAR grant allows our district to expand the reading opportunities of our students," she said. "Students in grades 5-8 participate in a Book of the Quarter program while a Reader's Club has been established for students in grades 9-12."
The Book of the Quarter is part of a state-level early literacy initiative. The books are aligned with the Lincoln Learning educational platform the district uses.
"All students are able to keep the books they read as part of this grant," Narlesky said.
The grant was possible because of a $38 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the Arkansas Comprehensive Literacy State Development Program.