Oct. 22, 2009

Bloomington’s Washburn Elementary School has been awarded a $100,000 grant for the Minnesota Reading First's statewide model for improving kindergarten through third grade reading instruction.

The Reading First grant, which is administered through the No Child Left Behind Act, will support the school’s efforts to improve reading instruction this year, and ultimately ensure all children read at grade level by the end of third grade.

The program supports classroom-based instructional reading assessments to measure how well students are reading. Funds also support ongoing professional development to ensure that all teachers have the skills to teach reading programs effectively.

“We already have great reading instruction taking place at Washburn,” says Principal Jon Millerhagen. “What the grant helps us do is collaboratively design a plan to address the specific needs of at risk children caught in the achievement gap with dynamic data driven best practices.”

Washburn was one of nine schools in Minnesota to receive the grant this year.