Grants for Governor’s Career and Technical Academies

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 211

September 28, 2007

INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

FROM:

Billy K. Cannaday, Jr.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

Grants for Governor’s Career and Technical Academies

Virginia has received a $500,000 grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Virginia was one of six states to receive STEM grants, which were awarded as part of the NGA Innovation America initiative and made possible through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Intel Foundation.

Virginia’s proposal identifies Career and Technical Education as a promising avenue for developing STEM literacy and other critical 21st Century skills through contextual learning. It provides the opportunity to develop STEM-focused Governor’s Career and Technical Academies that are partnerships of business and industry, public school divisions, community colleges, and where applicable, universities and local government, including workforce and economic development entities. They are intended to expand options for the general population of students to acquire STEM literacy and other critical knowledge, skills, and credentials that will prepare them for high-demand, high-wage and high-skill careers in Virginia.

Grants will be awarded only to partnerships. A school division must be one of the partners, and a school division may participate in only one partnership. NGA funds or matching state funds will be used to award planning and implementation grants of $120,000 for up to six partnerships during the 2008-2009 academic year. Partnerships that receive a $20,000 planning grant will be expected to present a proposal to establish a Governor’s Career and Technical Academy to the Department of Education for review and presentation to the Virginia Board of Education for approval. If the proposal is approved by the Board of Education by May 1, 2008, the partnership will be eligible to receive a $100,000 implementation grant for the 2008-2009 school year.

Additional information about the process, including a time line of key events and deadlines, may be found in the Request for Proposals at http://www.education.virginia.gov/Initiatives/CareerAndTechnicalEd/NGA_STEM-center.cfm.

For more information about the Governor’s Career and Technical Academies planning grants, please contact Ms. Elizabeth M. Russell, director, Office of Career and Technical Education Services, at Elizabeth.Russell@doe.virginia.gov or by telephone at (804) 225-2051; or Dr. Lynn Basham, technology education program specialist, at Lynn.Basham@doe.virginia.gov or by telephone at (804) 786-4210.

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