Allentown 1 of 29 Districts Nationwide Awarded Graduation Initiative Funding of $2.5 Million

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 30, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced almost $100 million in grants to support state and local efforts to reform high schools and improve the educational outcomes of students. Allentown School District (ASD) was one of 29 school districts -- and the only one in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- to earn the award, which totals $2.5 million for the first year of funding. The district's five-year application totaled $15 million; the district will be required to re-submit for continuation funding in the years ahead.

"This award is significant and important to our high school reform efforts," says Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak, ASD superintendent and former Secretary of Education for Pennsylvania. "Our intentions are clear and our mission is focused. We mean business and we plan to be accountable so that these funds are used judiciously to make change happen for the common good."

"These grants will help our communities and states in working towards President Obama's goal of once again having the highest college completion rate in the world by the end of the decade," Secretary Duncan said.  Twenty-nine states and districts will receive $46.6 million under the High School Graduation Initiative program.  This U.S. Department of Education graduation initiative supports early warning systems designed to identify students at risk, rigorous academic programs and support services to engage students and implement dropout prevention and targeted re-engagement programs that identify out-of-school youth and encourage them to re-enter school.

The following are secondary goals through 2015 as Allentown School District tackles middle and high school reform. All but one of six ASD secondary schools is in Corrective Action, the No Child Left Behind designation mandating significant change.

• Increase student proficiency by 40% with 2,425 more students proficient or above, for a total of 83%.
• Increase post-secondary commitments with 80% of students furthering their education.
• Monitor post-secondary students so that 79% successfully make it to their second year.

Serving approximately 18,300 students in 22 early childhood, elementary, middle and high schools located throughout the City of Allentown, PA, Allentown School District is the third largest urban school district out of 500 Commonwealth districts and employs approximately 2,400 employees.  www.allentownsd.org.  484-765-4000.

SOURCE Allentown School District