Iowa Department of Education Awards $300,000 to Six School Districts for Excellence in Postsecondary Readiness
The Iowa Department of Education announced on October 27 that it has awarded a total of $300,000 in Excellence in Postsecondary Readiness Grants to six Iowa school districts, $50,000 each, recognizing outstanding results in preparing students for life after high school graduation and supporting the districts in scaling their successful practices statewide. The Department is headquartered in Des Moines, the capital city in Polk County, Iowa.
The six recipient districts are the Creston Community School District, Fort Madison Community School District, Hampton-Dumont Community School District, Howard-Winneshiek Community School District, Storm Lake Community School District, and West Liberty Community School District. Awardees were selected based on postsecondary readiness index scores in the Iowa School Performance Profiles: the shares of students earning college credit and participating in work-based learning had to exceed the statewide averages of 70.3 percent and 45 percent, respectively, and consideration was given to districts serving a high proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Christina Sibaouih, chief of the Department's Bureau of Postsecondary Community Engagement, said career-connected learning is changing lives across Iowa and that the new grant responds directly to feedback from educators in the field; awardees will provide a blueprint other districts can use to build sustainable postsecondary readiness strategies. Each $50,000 grant will expand a proven practice in areas including work-based learning, Senior Year Plus and other college-credit pathways, industry-recognized credentials, individual career and academic planning, and middle school career development. Awardees will also join the Department's Course to College & Career program, lead trainings on their exemplary practices, and serve as resources for other districts.
The grants are one-time and non-renewable, supported by the Department's Iowa College Aid Strategic Reserve Fund. Funding is provided on a reimbursement basis through the end of the grant period on June 30, 2027, and may cover salaries and wages, benefits, travel, materials and supplies, equipment, and indirect costs.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：爱荷华州议会大厦金顶（资料图，摄于 Des Moines）。照片：Wikivoyage 贡献者原创作品，CC BY-SA 授权，经维基共享资源 / Iowa State Capitol golden dome in Des Moines (file photo), CC BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons.
