News
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2007
ISBE awards $13 million in 21st Century Community Learning Center grants for high-poverty and low-performing schools
35 schools and community organizations receive funds for after school programs to improve student performance
Springfield, Ill. – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced today the awarding of $13 million for after school tutoring and mentoring programs at 35 Illinois schools and community organizations. The 21st Century Community Learning Center grants primarily serve students from low-income, underperforming school districts and are a key component of the No Child Left Behind Act.
“These grants provide students and their families with another layer of support to be successful in school,” said State Superintendent Christopher Koch. “These 21st Century Learning Centers will provide enrichment opportunities to students in areas where we know extra help is needed. Anything we can do to assist a student’s learning, either through before- or after-school programming will only provide benefits.”
21st Century Community Learning Center grants will primarily serve students who attend schools with a population of at least 40 percent from low-income families. They provide opportunities to students and their families to continue learning new skills and discover new abilities after the school day has ended. Academic assistance must focus on reading and mathematics, concentrating on the Illinois Learning Standards and locally developed standards in core subject areas that complement the regular academic program.
In addition to tutoring and mentoring, the programs can also provide youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music and recreation programs, counseling and character education to enhance the academic component of the program. Parental involvement activities and extended library hours are other possible activities.
| School District/ROE/Organization | Funding Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Alton Community Unit School District 11 | $140,000 |
| Beacon Street Gallery and Performance Co | $125,000 |
| Beardstown CUSD #15 | $300,000 |
| Benton Consolidated High School District #103 | $125,000 |
| Berwyn South School District 100 | $100,000 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago | $600,000 |
| Breakthrough Urban Ministries | $125,000 |
| Build, Inc | $125,000 |
| Bureau Henry Stark ROE #28 | $250,000 |
| Canton Union School District #66 | $125,000 |
| Chicago Area Project | $225,000 |
| Chicago Public School Dist. #299 | $2,440,459 |
| Children's Home & Aid Society of Illinois | $240,000 |
| Cities in Schools Aurora 2000, Inc | $300,000 |
| Decatur Public Schools #61 | $394,541 |
| Dime Child Foundation | $175,000 |
| Dolton West School District #148 | $130,000 |
| East St. Louis School District 189 | $700,000 |
| Family Focus, INC | $800,000 |
| Homework Hangout Club, Inc | $100,000 |
| Illinois Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs | $900,000 |
| Jones Memorial Community Center | $125,000 |
| Metropolitan Family Services | $400,000 |
| Mount Vernon City Schools | $140,000 |
| Nicasa | $275,000 |
| Northwestern University Settlement Assoc. | $125,000 |
| Project Success of Vermillion County | $250,000 |
| Rock Island ROE #48 | $140,000 |
| Rockford School District 205 | $700,000 |
| Southwest Youth Collaborative | $125,000 |
| Springfield Public School District # 186 | $500,000 |
| Springfield Urban League, Inc | $410,000 |
| Waukegan Community School District | $275,000 |
| Waukegan Community School District | $225,000 |
| Westside Health Authority | $140,000 |
| Will County ROE | $750,000 |
| Total Funding | $13,000,000 |
Eighty-two proposals totaling more than $37 million were received from Illinois public school districts, charter schools, regional offices of education, universities, and community organizations throughout Illinois.
This 21st Century grant is made for a five year period dependent upon sufficient funding from the federal government for future years and the program having satisfactory progress in the preceding year. The FY 2008 grants start July 1, 2007 and end June 30, 2008, with the possibility of renewal through FY 2012.
