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Education Grant Program
Since its inception, the Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation has funded over $450,000 in education grants to schools throughout the District. Grant applications are distributed to school principals and teachers each year. The Educational Foundation's grants program has successfully provided funding for a wide array of educational resources ranging from educational technology, class programming aides, books, tutorial programs, supplies, instructional software programs, field trips, equipment, and the components necessary for presentations and classroom initiatives. An 11-person grants committee of the Board of Directors reviews all grants and presents their recommendations to the full board for approval.
Apply for a Grant
Past Grant Recipients
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SCSD/Foundation Soap Box Derby Project
The SCSD Educational Foundation is partnering with District Schools in an initiative to enhance students learning and mentoring through the use of Soap Box Derby racing. Grades 3-10 students in partnership with an adult mentor / coach will assemble and compete in the annual Syracuse Soap Box Derby Race held in June. Through this experience students will reinforce their STEM learning through an authentic competitive engineering project and develop a healthy and supportive relationship with a role model adult. This grant is designed to support mentor / mentee relationships through the design, assembly and racing of a Soap Box Derby car. A Soap Box Derby car will be purchased for each successful grant application. The applicant for each grant will be expected to ensure that each car has SCSD students actively engaged in all aspects of its design, construction, testing and competition.
Soap Box Derby Application Form (PDF)
Application Form (MS Word)
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SCSD Mentoring Program
The SCSD Educational Foundation is an avid supporter of the Syracuse City School District 's mentoring program and has committed itself to working with community leaders, corporate sponsors, colleges, and individuals throughout Central New York to build broad support of this program. The Syracuse City School District Mentoring Program offers a unique blend of mentoring opportunities through established collaborations with a variety of agencies and the Syracuse University GEAR UP Program. The goal is to offer an adult mentor to every student in the SCSD beginning at the 6th grade. Mentors will work with students from across the district and from every middle school.
Become a Mentor
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Community and District Projects
AXA Art Scholarship
Hats & Gloves Program
Syracuse Middle School Choice Program
Say Yes to Education - Syracuse
Partnership for Better Education
Westside Community School Strategy
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Community and District Projects
Since it was founded the SCSD Educational Foundation has supported projects in the community that have a positive impact on young people and residents of Syracuse . These diverse programs often are the result of individuals, institutions and/or companies extending a helping hand where there is a need, They are initiatives that are based on improving academic performance, graduation rates, and are often formed by collaborations between education, government, business, and community leaders. The Educational Foundation is an enthusiastic supporter of specific projects when they address the goals of the Syracuse City School District .
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AXA Art Scholarship
A program supported by the Educational Foundation and sponsored by AXA Advisors, the Syracuse City School District has been able to present five scholarships, one each year, benefiting high school graduating seniors pursuing a career in the arts.
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Hats & Gloves Program
The Wladis Companies, Inc., an employee benefits specialist company, was started by George Wladis in 1959. Today they serve businesses, physicians, dentists and attorneys throughout the state of New York .
Being generous and helping people in need was something taught to George by his late parents Rose and Jack Wladis. They always gave their guidance and even though their resources were limited - they still donated to many local charities.
About ten years ago George was reading an article in The Post Standard about somebody donating a few hats and gloves to Seymour School - and they still needed more. After speaking to the principal he realized these kids were in trouble - no hats no gloves - 550 students in all. So, he purchased 550 hats and gloves and he closed his office for a few hours -took all his employees and they went to the school to deliver the goods. The expressions on their faces brought tears to his eyes. He continued the tradition for a few years - expanding to two and then four schools. Today, with the help of Syracuse Fire Department Federal Credit Union, The Wladis Law Firm, Dermody Burke & Brown, Support Service Alliance , Welch Allyn, Pinnacle Investments, Inc., Zausmer-Frisch Construction and GMAC Mortgage, they now donate to 12 schools and 6,700 kids.
For more information or to make a donation, please call 315.474.1400
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Syracuse Middle School Choice Program
The Syracuse Middle School CHOICE program provides intensive mentoring and support services to students who, by virtue of lagging academic achievement and significant behavioral problems, are at risk of dropping out of school and joining street gangs. The program's mission is to provide these youth with the social and academic tools they need to succeed in school, and empower them to make positive decisions for themselves regarding issues of health, personal safety, and academic achievement. Of the 119 students who have participated in the CHOICE program over the last three years, 118 have advanced to the next grade level. CHOICE will continue to support the exiting eighth graders as they transition into high school. In 2006-2007, CHOICE expanded its services to our high school students to provide the social and academic tools these youth need to succeed in school and to empower them to make positive decisions.
Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection and the Syracuse Middle School Choice program merged last school year. The merged organization strives to increase urban high school graduation rates and ensure that participants leave high school with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue post-secondary education or enter the workforce. They do this through mentoring, after school activities, employment preparation and placement, and academic support. For more information please call: (585) 256-7544
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Say Yes to Education: Say YES to Success!
Say Yes to Education, Inc. (Say Yes) is a national, non-profit education foundation committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for our nation's inner-city youth. Say Yes provides comprehensive supports, including the promise of free college tuition to one of nearly 100 colleges and universities for those who meet residency, graduation and admission requirements, aligned with what research indicates is needed to enable every child in the program to achieve his or her potential. The Say Yes promise and supports begin when a child enters kindergarten and continue through high school and beyond. The range of services Say Yes offers across its Chapters include everything from after-school and summer programming, mentoring, tutoring, and school-day academic support to family outreach, scholarships, and social work/ psychological services. Additionally, Say Yes partners provide high-quality health care and legal assistance. These services help to create a positive, sustaining framework for each student's academic experience, one that encourages and rewards continued effort.
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The Syracuse Say Yes Program
The Say Yes program culminates in the guarantee of financial aid assistance for college. The Syracuse Say Yes program combines the comprehensive academic, social-emotional, and health supports that are critical to enabling every child to achieve his or her potential with the promise of free college tuition for students who meet graduation, residency, and college admissions requirements. Additionally, help for high need students living on a college campus may also apply.
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Say Yes has recruited an unprecedented network of nearly 100 higher education institutions to participate in the Higher Education Compact. Through this program eligible students are guaranteed to have all of their tuition costs paid by scholarships and grants, making it one of the most generous college scholarship programs in the nation.
In a short time, the Syracuse community has come together in remarkable ways to make college education possible for students and families from across the income spectrum. We know that the promise of college tuition, combined with the comprehensive and integrated Say Yes support system being established in SCSD K-12 schools, will dramatically change the lives of Syracuse's next generation.
For more information, please email college@sayyessyracuse.org or contact us.
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Partnership for Better Education
At an event held in October 2006 at Henninger High School , Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, Syracuse City School District (SCSD) Superintendent Daniel G. Lowengard and Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll announced a major expansion of the "Partnership for Better Education," which will serve the SCSD with expanded programming in additional city schools; additional curriculum building programs; and enhanced teacher training and recruitment. Building on the success of the original program, which was launched by Syracuse University and the SCSD in August 2005 in Nottingham High School , the partnership will now offer programs to students in Corcoran, Henninger, Fowler and Central Technical high schools, and in the 28 elementary and middle schools that feed into them. The partnership was started to assist area students in pursuing higher education by providing new opportunities for quality instruction and by improving students' access to the arts and creative resources for study. Using learning communities as the framework for focused interaction between SU and the SCSD, the Partnership works to expose students to creative approaches to arts, literacy, science and technology, engineering and math. Other Central New York institutions of higher education; The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College and SUNY Upstate Medical University, have joined the partnership. These institutions will all begin to develop initiatives and programming that match the needs within the SCSD curriculum to their areas of institutional strength. SU will continue to coordinate the comprehensive and systematic structure for designing, implementing, organizing and evaluating the joint activities involving these institutions and the SCSD. This partnership is therefore dynamic, moving up and down the "Hill" in ways that solidify connections. The partnership also complements the many other continuing collaborations between Syracuse University and SCSD, including the SU Literacy Corps, existing professional development partnerships for teachers and administrators, and student teaching and field placements.
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Westside Community School Strategy
The Westside Community School Strategy is a student focused strategy with a holistic approach to addressing barriers to student learning. The long-term goal for Westside Strategy is to increase academic performance at each of the six schools included in the Strategy ( Bellevue , Delaware , Shea/Bellevue Academy, Seymour , Blodgett and Fowler). The short-term goals are to begin to make progress at each school regarding attendance, behavior, school climate, parent involvement, and participation in student/family support programs. The objectives, outcomes, and strategy activities for each of the six elements of the community school model as well as three core components of the Strategy are summarized below.
GOALS
- Students attending school on the Westside graduate from high school and are prepared to continue their education and/or enter the workforce.
- Systemic reform in the way that we support families and children within and across sectors (schools, the public sector and not-for-profits).
- Resource allocation decisions made by key stakeholders reflect the priorities and needs identified through the Strategy.
- Cross-sector communication and collaboration results in more effective programming and better outcomes for families.
- Providers working with students and families incorporate academic outcomes as a measure for evaluating program/service effectiveness.
SIX ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY
- Health/Dental Services
- Objective: School based or school-linked health and dental services will be made available to all students at these schools.
- Outcome : Improved health of students through prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health and dental conditions
- Measured by: Reduction in high-end diagnosis; increase in preventative care; improved attendance rates
- Outputs: # of students enrolled (approx. 80% of total enrollment at each school); patient contacts, types of diagnosis, attendance of enrolled students
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will educate and inform families about the availability of school based health services. Strategy staff will actively support School Based Health Centers ' and the schools' efforts to enroll students and their families in school base health centers.
- Strategy staff will link families to health services in the community as necessary
- As needed, high-risk students (approx. 20%) will be enrolled with school-based health services
- Mental Health Services
- Objective: School based or school-linked mental health services will be made available to the students at these schools. Student support teams will assist in identifying students who would benefit from these services.
- Outcome : Improved mental health of enrolled students through prevention, diagnosis and treatment
- Measured by: Referrals and Behavioral Assessments
- Outputs : # of students served; # and type of referrals, suspensions and hearings; ratings of behavioral assessments
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will educate and inform families about the availability of mental health services at the school and in the community.
- Strategy staff will support the enrollment of students/families in mental health services through referrals from the Student Support Teams.
- As needed, high-risk students (approx 20%) will have mental health services made available
- Academic Intervention Services (tutoring, SES, after-school programs)
- Objective: Students who are not performing at grade level will receive additional academic intervention services as provided in the school and in the community before, during, after-school and/or summer school. Student support teams will assist in identifying students who would benefit from these services.
- Outcome: Students increase academic performance and preparedness to learn
- Measured by : Report cards and tests and Teacher Feedback Surveys
- Outputs : # of students w/AIS services; # of hours of AIS per/child; multiple measures (i.e. test scores, teacher observations, portfolios)
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will identify existing AIS programs and promote AIS services with families and help to enroll families as necessary in needed programs.
- At-risk students (approx 20%) will be required to have AIS supports if they are not currently performing on grade level.
- Youth Development Programs (character development, after-school programs, youth development trainings)
- Objective: Students will be exposed to and supported with the 40 developmental assets of positive youth development.
- Outcome : Improved student behavior and improved school climate
- Measured by : Behavioral Referrals, attendance and school climate surveys
- Outputs : # of programs, # of students served; # and type of referrals, suspensions and hearings, attendance
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will work with the schools to identify character building programming to implement in the school for all student.
- Strategy staff will promote with students and families positive youth development activities both in school and in the community.
- At-risk students (approx 20%) working with Strategy staff will be required to be involved in at least one youth development program.
- Early Childhood Programming and Educational Services
- Objective: The Westside community will have sufficient quantity and high quality early health programs and educational experiences for families and their children.
- Outcome: Increased number of children utilizing school and community-based early interventions and supports; Improved readiness to learn for children entering pre-kindergarten and kindergarten
- Measured by: # of children in early intervention programs; readiness assessments of children upon entering school
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will assess the current utilization of early childhood education services and work with families to promote and enroll child in quality early educational opportunities
- Strategy staff will collect information about the barriers to accessing early childhood services
- Family Supports - Family Resource Network
- Objective: Families facing conditions that are interfering with a child's ability to learn will receive the support that is necessary to stabilize the home and/or strengthen the family (i.e. housing, employment, literacy, adult education, ESL/GED, health and mental health).
- Outcome: Improved family conditions, functioning and school involvement
- Measured by : Parent involvement w/ school; parent conditions and wellbeing assessment
- Outputs : Successful linkages to services, parent contacts at school, improvements on family wellbeing assessment, parent satisfaction surveys
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will work with all families to encourage greater involvement in school and community programs (general information and referral).
- Strategy staff will work with families referred by the school through a form of case management that will ensure accountability for improvement in family conditions.
THREE CORE COMPONENTS OF THE STRATEGY
- School Based Student Support Teams
- Objective : To build a multi-disciplinary team (or use an existing team) within each schools that is responsible for identifying at-risk students (approx. 20%) who require comprehensive supports of the Strategy
- Outcome: At-risk students will receive the supports that they need to achieve academic success
- Measured by : Improved behavior; improved attendance; improved academic success
- Outputs : Development of student success plan; # of supports received by student; # of meetings held to discuss students progress; grades, referrals, attendance
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff and school staff will coordinate the meetings of Student Support Teams to identify targeted students and to develop Student Success Plans. Follow-up and accountability measures will be central to the operations of the Teams.
- Professional Development and Training
- Objective: To develop a multi-disciplinary training program for all front line workers, agency staff and school staff that will guide the work being done with families on the Westside.
- Outcome: Individuals working on the Westside will receive high quality universal training (professional development) that supports their work with students and families.
- Measured by : Trainings offered to multiple sectors; Satisfaction with training; Changes that result from the trainings
- Outputs : # of training sessions; # of individuals trained
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will develop a proposal for developing a comprehensive training program that develops workers skill set in working with families including a focus on cultural competency, class and race.
- Strategy staff will issue an RFP for the training proposal and work to develop the training curriculum with the consultant/agency.
- All Strategy staff will be trained by the consultant/agency
- Consultant/agency will offer several cross-sector trainings throughout the year on the Westside Community
- Strategy Database System
- Objective: To collect meaningful student and family information that documents current conditions and assists in identifying the needs and priorities of families attending Westside schools.
- Outcome: Provide the Strategy, the schools and the agencies involved with the children and their families with a clearer picture of what is going on with the child and family in order to provide better services in order to have better outcomes which is academic success.
- Measured by : The ability to produce aggregate information on families and children on Westside; New programs developed that are targeting identified needs by the Strategy
- Outputs : Reports generated identifying priority areas; New programs;
- Strategy Activities:
- Strategy staff will be responsible for logging in student/family plans and for collecting and logging into database family and community data identifying needs and priorities.
- Strategy Executive Director responsible for aggregating student, school and community data and presenting to key stakeholders of the Strategy for action.
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