§ 215 - Challenge to excellence grants - Vermont Statutes

§ 215. Challenge to excellence grants

(a) Purpose. It is a goal of the general assembly to promote quality education for every Vermont child and to create an opportunity for every Vermont student to achieve his or her personal best, while respecting divergent student goals and personal learning styles and abilities. The general assembly further finds that a school's climate for learning is improved when parents, community members and business leaders actively participate in promoting educational opportunities for every student. Further, it is the compassion and innovation of individual teachers and school personnel that often create the impetus for students to achieve excellence in education.

(b) The commissioner shall establish and implement a challenge to excellence grant program for the purpose of promoting quality education for Vermont students. Eligible applicants include Vermont public elementary, middle, secondary and vocational schools, and Vermont supervisory unions on behalf of a school or schools. All proposals shall be to develop or carry out a comprehensive plan, which may be an action plan pursuant to subdivision 165(a)(1) of this title, to create educational opportunities for each student within the school. Any such plan must be or must have been developed with the involvement of parents and other community members, staff and business representatives, and shall be designed to assist students in meeting state board and school board standards. Grants shall be for up to $50,000.00 and shall include a 1-1 match from other sources of funding including grants from businesses, foundations or other federal or local funding. Priority shall be given to schools which the commissioner finds are having difficulty meeting the quality standards listed in subsection 165(a) of this title or are making insufficient progress in improving student performance in relation to the standards set forth in subdivision 164(9) of this title. Eligible activities include:

(1) A comprehensive planning and goal-setting process to promote a quality education for all students within the school.

(2) Activities to carry out a comprehensive plan to promote quality education for students within the school.

(3) Innovative methods to create educational opportunities for students according to a comprehensive plan, including but not limited to special classes and activities; mentorship; summer institutes on math, science, reading and language arts, social studies, service, the arts or technology; partnerships for learning with businesses, post-secondary institutions and community organizations; tutorials; programs for at-risk or gifted students; guidance, peer counseling and career planning activities. (Added 1997, No. 60, § 7, eff. June 26, 1997.)