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By DANIELLE CAPALBO

Times Staff Writer


STAMFORD -- Stamford Public Schools will begin this fall with the largest non-government financial boost in the district's history.

School representatives announced June 22 that the GE Foundation would extend an ongoing partnership with the district through a $10.4 million grant distributed over four years. The money will promote college readiness and fund, in part, district-wide improvements in math and science, a revamped literacy program and professional development efforts.

The partnership began in 2006 with about $15 million in grant money, said Kelli Wells, the foundation's Director of U.S. Education Programs. Aside from funding, the foundation and GE's local branch lend personnel to help the district tweak its internal processes and improve academics.

School spokeswoman Sarah Arnold said district-wide changes that were funded by the grant have yielded improved test scores. More than five hundred elementary-school students have increased two reading levels, for instance.

"I am thrilled that the GE Foundation continues to invest in our work," said Superintendent of Schools Joshua Starr. "Our ongoing partnership has enabled the Stamford Public Schools to increase our efforts to prepare each and every student with the knowledge and skills they need to be college-ready when they graduate."

So far, the collaboration has enabled administrators to implement new instructional programs, a common standards-based evaluation system for student performance in core classes and weekly laboratory time for students taking biology, chemistry and physics. It's also helped administrators align math and science curricula with state and national standards.

Moving forward, Arnold said faculty and staff will design and present a "comprehensive literacy curriculum" spanning kindergarten through 12th grade.

For its Developing Futures in Education initiative, the GE Foundation has also teamed with public schools in Louisville, Ky., Cincinatti, Ohio, Erie, Pa., Atlanta, Ga., and New York City. The schools were chosen based on their proximity to local branches.

"The reason we work on strengthening school districts is because we feel it's really important to help them look at their processes," Wells said, adding that, in Stamford, the GE Foundation helped affect an audit of the human resources department and implement new methods for training and assimilating personnel, like principals, in management roles.

"If we can help a school district streamline its processes or help build a collaborative culture, for example, that allows for more time to work on improving math and science instruction," she said."

The schools chosen by the foundation were not necessarily at risk to begin with, she said, and she lauded Stamford in particular for the "amazing vision," "thoughtful process" and high standards that have made the district "somewhat of a showcase" for other participants.

"They're just really committed to improving education for all students," she said.

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