Grant Funding and Program News
Programs Receive Grant Funding
The AT&T Aspire Foundation presented a grant of $150,000 to the School of Education’s EnAbled for College project that improves outcomes for at-risk students. Through the EnAbled program, trained mentors meet one-on-one with disabled, at-risk or low socioeconomic status high school students to explain college admissions, go over financial-aid forms and help with the application process.
Founded by Department of Educational Psychology faculty members Dr. Tamara Hodges and Dr. Terrill Saxon, the EnAbled program began in 2010. Research shows that these at-risk students are less likely to pursue post-secondary education and consequently earn less during their lifetimes, Hodges said. Without interventions, “that lifetime of poverty can become generations of poverty,” she said.
The Baylor Summer Civics iEngage Institute has received a $45,000 grant from the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation. The weeklong day camp helps fifth- through ninth-grade students understand and engage in civic action. The camp began in 2013 and is connected to the civics education research of
co-founders Dr. Brooke Blevins and Dr. Karon LeCompte and includes work with the iCivics programs launched by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Blevins said, “We are thrilled that the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation shares our commitment to this work. This will help the School of Education continue to be a leader in civics education.”
The School of Education’s Project Promise gifted-education initiative received new funding from Independent Bank in the form of a $10,000 grant. Project Promise is a component of the University for Young People (UYP), a summer camp program for fourth-twelfth grade students identified as gifted and talented. Students choose from dozens of courses offered on the Baylor campus. UYP began more than 30 years ago, and Project Promise, which receives funding from a City of Waco Community Development Block Grant, started in 1999.
Recent research has shown that the program has significant effects on the students’ likelihood to attend and succeed in post-secondary education.
New Joint Degree Offered
A new joint master’s degree combines the faculties and resources of the School of Education with those of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Students may combine the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree with either the MSEd or MA in Curriculum & Instruction. Students will graduate prepared for leadership in ministry and education, offering a specialized path for those seeking careers in church education, denominational leadership, religious curriculum development or private school leadership.
More information is at baylor.edu/SOE/ci/MDiv.