WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) last week announced that Iowa will receive $3,028,749 in funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. The grants will support efforts to turn around persistently low-achieving schools. Harkin chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the SIG program as well as the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
“The ladder of opportunity in America is built on opportunities in education. In order to improve the quality of education at all levels, and to ensure that every student regardless of background has access to opportunities in education, we must concentrate our resources on schools that have the greatest need,” said Harkin. “With the funding announced today, Iowa will be able to direct resources where they are needed the most, helping students and creating opportunities for the future. I welcome this funding and extend my thanks to Education Secretary Duncan.”
Iowa was one of nine states selected for today’s announcement by the Education Department. Under the Obama Administration, the SIG program has invested up to $2 million per school at more than 1,500 of the country’s lowest-performing schools. Preliminary findings of the SIG program show that many schools receiving these grants are improving, and some of the greatest gains have been in small towns and rural communities.
