Schools Foundation grants to fund math enhancement, AP prep and more

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According to a recent survey, 75 percent of students think they are good at math in first grade. By the time students are in 11th grade, only 10 to 15 percent think they are good at math.  To help students build their confidence with mathematical concepts, a new grant at Shades Cahaba Elementary will bring the author of Number Talks to work with kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers at each elementary school and train them. 

A number talk is a short ongoing daily routine that provides students with meaningful practice in math.  These routines are structured as short sessions to develop what teachers are already teaching in the classroom.

This grant, “Building a Foundation: Numerical Reasoning and Mathematical Best Practices,” is one of many awarded this spring by the Homewood City Schools Foundation for all five Homewood schools. Together the Discover-E grants for innovative classroom projects, new technology and professional development throughout the school system totaled $33,000.

Another grant at Homewood High School will teach first-year AP students to manage a more rigorous course load. “Advanced Placement Pre-Season Summer Workout” will impart the skills needed to be successful in any AP class through a one-day workshop.

Also at HHS, “Individualized Math Insights” will fund a math website giving students a greater understanding of specific mathematical concepts.  IMI lets teachers monitor the students’ progress to make sure that they are mastering the necessary math skills. This software is used for all algebra I and geometry students in ninth grade.   

A third HHS grant will upgrade the library collection since the state no longer provides funding for school libraries. This grant will provide funds to purchase new print and electronic books that support the curriculum, appeal to student interest and prepare them for the future. 

To learn more about the grants or the schools foundation, visit homewoodcityschoolsfoundation.com.

Additional HCSF grants by school

Edgewood Elementary

  • Eliminating Summer Reading Slump for Struggling Readers
  • Enhancing the Reading Curriculum: Developing an Instructional Plan for Skill and Strategy Study
  • Text Complexity: Reading Into the 21st Century

Hall-Kent Elementary

  • Hall-Kent Reading Rocks
  • Reading Revisited: Teaching and Assessing for All Students
  • Writing from Sources
  • Text Complexity: Reading Into the 21st Century 

Shades Cahaba Elementary

  • Shades Cahaba Makerspace
  • Text Complexity: Reading Into the 21st Century

Homewood Middle School

  • Sixth Grade Math Team Camp
  • Bringing HMS Science into the Next Generation
  • Heritage Panel Program
  • Jumpstart Summer Camp
  • Prepping Patriots: A Program to Help At-Risk Students Successfully Transition to HMS
  • Scholastic Math
  • Seed to Plate: Growing Learners and Harvesting Success