Walton foundation aids state education

Group gave $10 million here in ’11

— The Walton Family Foundation announced Monday more than $10 million given toward Arkansas education efforts during 2011 and nearly $160 million given toward education nationally.

Some of the largest recipients in Arkansas were Teach For America and the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, receiving $1.8 million and nearly $1 million, respectively.

Other recipients included charter schools across Arkansas, the Northwest Evaluation Association - a nonprofit that develops test materials - and university foundations.

Several charter schools were awarded $250,000 each, including Academics Plus, Lighthouse campuses in Jacksonville and Pine Bluff, LISA Academy campuses in Little Rock and Sherwood, and the School for Integrated Academics and Technologies. E-STEM Public Charter Schools Inc. was awarded $150,000.

“Our motivation to support programs and projects that build better communities stems from a history of thoughtful giving that continues to be driven by the philanthropic desires of the Walton family,” Rob Brothers, director of the Walton Family Foundation Home Region Focus Area, said in a news release.

Teach For America’s Greater Delta region includes 28 school districts in Arkansas and 27 in Mississippi. Teach For America’s teachers are recent college graduates with no training in education who respond to a critical need for instructors in low-income schools.

Students in the Greater Delta region often enter kindergarten already behind in their education - not knowing letters, colors, numbers or even their own surnames - said Ron Nurnberg, executive director of Teach For America Greater Delta.

When Delta students enter third grade, they are often two grade levels behind in reading and writing, he said. Because of this, the goals are lofty for the new teachers in the region.

Nurnberg said Teach For America aims to advance students by 1 1/2 to 2 years during a school year.

“Just maintaining a year’s growth in a year is not enough,” Nurnberg said. “Many of our students are not making a year in a year.”

In the past four years, Teach For America teachers in the Greater Delta corps have increased from 160 to529. With more money, Nurnberg expects between 570 and 575 teachers for the next school year.

Each teacher costs about $21,000 - a cheaper option for schools when compared with hiring teachers with more experience.

Throughout Arkansas, the Public School Resource Center provides legal assistance to rural school districts and charter schools struggling with lower student populations.

The resource center also assists schools in organizing finances, working with new technology, professional development, program development, advocacy and policy work.

With extra funds, the resource center can add staff to seek grants and work with schools.

“As we work more and more with schools, we learn more and more what problems they’re facing,” said Scott Smith, executive director of the Arkansas Public School Resource Center.

As a not-for-profit entity in the educational world, Smith said the resource center is more relevant now as school districts face budget cuts and higher standards of educational accountability.

“There’s just a lot of expectations in general,” Smith said.

Smith hopes the resource center can be a relief to schools in Arkansas.

“They work hard every day doing the business of education,” he said.

Arkansas, Pages 7 on 06/05/2012

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