Albertson Foundation Announces $25 Million Education Reform Initiative
Albertson Foundation Announces $25 Million Education Reform Initiative
The Boise-based J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation has announced a $25 million initiative to help build awareness of education reform efforts in Idaho and monitor efforts to improve student achievement. The initiative includes a $21 million grant to the Idaho State Department of Education to help equip every public school in the state with learning management software.
The Schoolnet Instructional Improvement System is designed to help teachers assess and analyze student progress, develop lesson plans, and share best practices. The software also enables school administrators and board trustees to track student progress in each school, assess the impact of specific programs, and evaluate the professional development of staff. Parents will be allowed to use the system to check their children's grades and communicate with teachers. State education officials hope the adoption of the technology will help ensure that all Idaho students successfully graduate high school prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce.
The remaining $4 million will be used to distribute 450,000 copies of the Idaho Education Resource Guide to parents, teachers, school board members, school administrators, business leaders, and interested members of the public, as well as host a series of "twenty-first century learning forums." In addition, national education experts will be invited to quarterly town hall meetings, where they will discuss the latest models and student achievement successes from around the country. The forums will be open to the public and broadcast via the Idaho Education Network, which will also receive a portion of the grant funds.
"This is an exciting day for Idaho students, teachers and school leaders. This generous grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation builds upon the bold and innovative reforms we have made through the Students Come First laws," Idaho superintendent of public instruction Tom Luna told the Twin Falls Times-News. "While the Students Come First laws invest in advanced technology used for instruction, this Albertson Foundation grant will give every classroom teacher the technology they need to streamline reporting processes, save critical instructional time and gain access to immediate data on student achievement, robust assessments, and research-based best practices."
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