LMU Awarded $100,000 Grant to Improve
Reading Skills of Westchester Students

Two Loyola Marymount University programs, the Family of Schools and the Center for Equity for English Learners, have been awarded a $100,000 grant from the California Community Foundation to help improve the reading skills of elementary students in the Westchester community.

The Family of Schools (FOS) and the Center for Equity for English Learners, both sponsored by LMU’s School of Education, will use the California Community Foundation grant to provide training to elementary school teachers in FOS-member schools. The training is designed give teachers a better cultural understanding of their students and instructional techniques that will enhance students’ academic performance.

LMU’s Family of Schools, which serves seven Los Angeles Unified School District schools in Westchester, was established three years ago to help neighboring schools improve academic performance through professional development, school governance and partnerships. FOS-member schools have a diverse ethnic and socioeconomic student population that faces a variety of challenges in learning to speak and write English.

The Center for Equity for English Learners is a professional development and research program that is a leader in the effort to define best teaching practices for students who are learning English. It also offers training programs for English learner educators.

“This grant helps LMU more fully realize the vision we had for the Family of Schools partnership with our neighbors,” said Shane Martin, dean of the School of Education. “We will be able to add to the variety of programs that use our expertise and innovation to help close the education gap experienced by many children in our local schools.”

The California Community Foundation grant to LMU was one of 43 grants awarded to nonprofit organizations serving low income communities in Los Angeles County. The California Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of Los Angeles County residents by helping individuals, families and organizations meet their own philanthropic goals. Established in 1915, the foundation has $1 billion dollars in assets.

Posted September 3, 2010