The School Improvement Grant (SIG) – made available by the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—will go to schools performing in the lowest five percent of Washington that show no signs of growth or have graduation rates under 60 percent.

“Improving schools that consistently miss the mark for achievement is hard work and calls for dramatic action,” said Baird.  “However, we owe it to our kids to make tough decisions to give them a solid future.”

The $50,214,857 awarded to Washington will go to selected school districts that have a school consistently failing to meet annual yearly progress that the state identifies as “persistently lowest achieving” or Tier III school.  A school district must then implement a plan in their persistently lowest achieving schools with a strategy that could include replacing the school principal, closing the school, or overhauling the curriculum.  

The State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction will announce the school districts receiving grant money on Monday, March 29, 2010.

For more information on Student Improvement Grant program, go to www.ed.gov.

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