Recently, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $8.7 million in education grants to Kentucky to boost teaching and learning capabilites at the state's schools. Currently, Kentucky's schools have the lowest achievement records in the country.
The state's districts will begin competing for the newly allocated funds. The state has also been required to install an intervention model as part of the grant program.
According to Anne Duncan, the U.S. Education secretary, when a school system performs in the bottom 5 percent of the state and does not show any signs of progress, dramatic action is required. Furthermore, the state's schools had graduation rates below 60 percent over a course of several years.
Often, schools that receive new funds have opted to implement new technology to increase teaching and learning capabilities. Items such as smartboards, high-tech computers and HDMI projectors have been brought into the classroom for such reasons.
The Department of Education also recently issued aid to Ohio to help increase its school systems, awarding nearly $40 million in grants.
