Press release [June 29, 2017]

For immediate release June 29, 2017

Office of Communications (404) 651-7774

Deal announces Innovation Fund Tiny Grant award winners

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced 39 award winners for the Innovation Fund Tiny Grant program, a competitive grant opportunity that provides funding to traditional public schools, charter schools and school districts to implement small-scale programs that directly engage students.

"The Innovation Fund Tiny Grant provides funding for educators to develop and share best classroom methods with their peers," said Deal. "As we encourage Georgia's students to reach new heights, we must also expand opportunities for more effective academic growth and success in the classroom. Congratulations to the award winners and we look forward to seeing the impact each Tiny Grant will have on the futures of students in Georgia."

Programs funded by Tiny Grants must align with one of the three following priority areas: applied learning with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education, development and replication of blended learning school models and birth-to-age-eight language and literacy development.

Grantees will evaluate the impact of the programs on student engagement and achievement and submit their findings to the Governor's Office of Student Achievement at the end of the grant period.
The grant award winners, schools systems and respective programs are listed below:
Applied Learning with a Focus on STEAM Education
Charles R. Drew Charter School Atlanta Public Schools Tiny House, Huge Impact
Wesley International Academy Atlanta Public Schools Student News Broadcast
Westside Atlanta Charter School Atlanta Public Schools eSTEAM Builder
Sallie Zetterower Elementary School Bulloch County Schools Sprouting STEM Take 2
Willie J. Williams Middle School

Colquitt County School District PackerX
Alexander High School Douglas County School District AHS Extended Robotics Team
Arbor Station Elementary School Douglas County School District Arbor Station STEM Lab
Sweetwater Elementary School Douglas County School District VR Knights
Springfield Elementary School Effingham County Schools Full STEAM Ahead...Fostering Future Leaders in STEM Fields
Evoline C. West Elementary School Fulton County Schools Arcade Awareness: Sustainability Wins

Georgia Connections Academy GACA Mobile MakerSpace
Bay Creek Middle School Gwinnett County Public Schools Introducing the Robo-Rams
Couch Middle School Gwinnett County Public Schools Come GROW with Me
Martin Technology Academy of Math and Science Hall County Schools Digital Storytelling
Hampton Elementary Charter School Henry County Schools Monarch Butterfly Garden
Hampton Middle School Henry County Schools Virtual Reality: Changing the Classroom Experience

Thomson Middle School Houston County Schools Next Generation Scientists
Morgan County Elementary School Morgan County Charter School System VR Makes Us Who We Are!
Bagley Middle School Murray County Schools Going Beyond the Ordinary with Virtual Reality
Hiram High School Paulding County School District Garden/Greenhouse Project
Flat Shoals Elementary Rockdale County Public Schools Making Magic with Makerspaces
West End Elementary School Rome City Schools WEE Worms

Hesse Elementary School Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Mighty Machines: The Power of LEGO Learning and STEAM in the Classroom School for Arts Infused Learning State Charter School Our Transforming Community
Long Cane Middle School Troup County School System Drone Attack!
Long Cane Middle School Troup County School System Green Racing Team
Birth-through-Age-Eight Language and Literacy Development
Cobb County School District Office of Early Learning Cobb County School District Ready, Set, Read!

Blue Ridge School Dalton Public Schools Growing Great Readers
West Bainbridge Elementary School Decatur County Schools Wildcat Teachers Club
Amana Academy Fulton County Schools ELA Modules and Mentors Make a Difference
West End Elementary School Rome City Schools WEE Cook to Read
Telfair County Schools Birth to Books Parent Academy
Troup County School System The Jungle Bus

Blended Learning
Ebenezer Middle School Effingham County Schools Blended Mastery Classroom with Chromebooks! Differentiating Instruction to Improve Learning for All Students
McClarin Success Academy Fulton County Schools Modern Blended/Personalized Student Learning Environment
Sycamore Elementary School Gwinnett County Public Schools The Breakfast Club
Social Circle Elementary School Social Circle City Schools Blended Learning for Acceleration, Enrichment, and Individualized Achievement
Social Circle Elementary School Social Circle City Schools Blending Learning for Students
Social Circle Elementary School

Social Circle City Schools Blending Learning for Students and Teachers
Descriptions of the winning proposals are attached.
About the Innovation Fund The Innovation Fund invests in public education entities that aggressively develop and scale programs that enable Georgia educators to improve student performance and tackle our state's most significant education challenges. In 2011, The Innovation Fund began as a $19.4 million competitive grant competition created under Georgia's Race to the Top (RT3) Plan. To continue the Innovation Fund's work beyond RT3, Deal appropriated state funding for Fiscal Years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Since its inception, the Innovation Fund has invested more than $33 million of state and federal funding through 139 grants to school districts, traditional public schools, charter schools, postsecondary institutions and nonprofit organizations to pilot innovative education programs, ranging in focus from teacher and leader induction and development to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) applied learning, blended learning and birth-to-age-eight language and literacy development. For more information on the Innovation Fund, visit the Governor's Office of Student Achievement website.
Jen Talaber Ryan jen.ryan@georgia.gov
Alyssa Botts abotts@georgia.gov