Schools receive grants for new advanced high school programs

Two local high schools are among the 16 new grantees who will share grants that total $755,000, part of $6.2 million in Specialized Secondary Programs funding.

In the Simi Valley Unified School District, Santa Susana High School Law and Society Academy received $100,000.

Thousand Oaks High School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District was awarded $125,000 for the school's Lancers for Global Entrepreneurship Program.

"These grants will help high schools develop exciting new and advanced programs focused on such topics as geospacial technology, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, biotechnology, geothermal, solar or wind energy," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. "These are exactly the type of cuttingedge curricula we need to prepare students for more challenging careers whether they go straight into jobs after high school or continue their education in college."

Thirty-eight schools applied for new funding. Of the 16 grantees, 13 will receive planning grants and three will receive implementation grants.

Applicants had to demonstrate substantial promise of providing high school students with new, advanced programs; participate in mandated evaluations; develop key goals and measurable objectives; and demonstrate the ability to plan or implement new programs.

The program provides startup funds to establish new, advanced programs over a four-year period in the state's high schools. Funding may be used to develop new curriculum and innovative instructional strategies, infuse new technology into teaching and learning, and provide students with educational experiences that link them to the business world.

The programs must be rich in curriculum content with varied instructional methods that emphasize expanded, indepth study of a targeted content area or career focus.