St. Vrain Valley Schools announced today that it has been selected as one of only eleven school systems nationwide to participate in the The Innovative School Systems Grant (ISSG) program, a new initiative by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) and the Walton Family Foundation to support public school systems that are proposing bold ideas to transform student learning.
This nine-month program will support system operators in piloting their transformative idea and advancing their readiness to drive systems change around a clearly defined issue.
St. Vrain will invest the funds in expanding programming for the district’s Advanced Global Interactive Learning Environments (AGILE) program, which enables students to take courses at any high school online, taught synchronously by highly effective St. Vrain teachers. The district has also expanded access to courses such as AP Calculus and others to students attending rural schools, expanding access and opportunity for high-quality instruction and learning across the state.
“The selection of St. Vrain Valley Schools for the Innovative School Systems Grant underscores our dedication to innovative education, as we strive to expand opportunities for students through the AGILE program and beyond,” said Kahle Charles, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at St. Vrain Valley Schools. “This investment will allow us to expand on the highly successful pilot years of our AGILE program, and connect even more students to high-quality, rigorous learning experiences that will provide them with a strong competitive advantage in the future.”
The grant will provide $136,000 in funding to St. Vrain Valley Schools to refine, plan and expand the AGILE program. The ISSG program will also provide additional support and capacity building through qualified technical assistance providers.
“We are thrilled to announce that St. Vrain Valley Schools has been chosen as one of just eleven school systems in the nation for the Innovative School Systems Grant program, demonstrating our commitment to pioneering educational advancements that will benefit students across our state,” added Don Haddad, Superintendent of St. Vrain Valley Schools. “We are immensely thankful to the Center on Reinventing Public Education and the Walton Family Foundation for their visionary support.”
About the Innovative School Systems Grant (ISSG) Program
In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the need for systemic change in the U.S. education system has become more apparent than ever. The ISSG program is committed to disrupting systemic inequities at their root and providing resources to design and implement lasting solutions that enhance the quality of education for all students.
One of the unique aspects of this grant program is its emphasis on selecting school systems that are willing to address contextual and policy barriers that have hindered change in the past, and to anchor their solutions in collaboration with their community.
“We are excited to partner with school systems that are committed to making bold, transformative changes to the way we educate our students,” said CRPE’s Director, Robin Lake. “We believe that this program can be a catalyst for real change and help ensure that all students are ready for a new future.”
CRPE will study and share broadly about the progress of participating school systems, including how readiness factors and support can aid the scaling and sustainability of bold ideas to create a more equitable education system. This research process will be dynamic, learning alongside school systems and other key stakeholders and co-constructing early findings with grant participants. CRPE will publish learnings through a blog series and summative final report, and will share publicly accessible tools that reflect data collected from the entire 11-school grant cohort.