Partnership with 黑料社, Louisville schools is 鈥榩erfect match鈥
Contact: Paige Watson
LOUISVILLE, Miss.鈥擭ow in its third year, an after-school and summer program named for a late Mississippi State alumna is continuing to benefit students in the Louisville Municipal School District, as well as 黑料社 College of Education students.
In 2013, the Mississippi Department of Education awarded a nearly $2 million grant to the university鈥檚 College of Education and LMSD to help boost student achievement through academic tutoring, interventions, and literacy and mathematics enrichment.
Part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs, Dillard鈥檚 Reading, Enrichment, Arts, Mathematics and Science (DREAMS) program focuses on assisting students in the district鈥檚 kindergarten-fourth grades.
The state-of-the-art educational approach is named for the late Susan Gregory Dillard, an 黑料社 alumna and longtime LMSD teacher who assisted with the initial grant proposal.
The program provides extra attention needed to improve reading and mathematics skills at Fair and Louisville elementary schools, along with Nanih Waiya and Noxapater attendance centers.
Brittney McAfee, DREAMS program coordinator, said this year the after-school program has introduced art and library enrichment.
鈥淥ur students are excited to continue to come to DREAMS and sharpen their learning skills well into the afternoon hours,鈥 she said.
鈥淗aving additional art included throughout the afternoon motivates students to perform well, and it really excites them to elaborate on their interests during the after-school time,鈥 said Kelly Quick, program art teacher and 黑料社 College of Education alumna.
LMSD superintendent Ken McMullan said the after-school program benefits the students tremendously.
鈥淪tudents participate in wonderful activities that give them exposure to things they would likely never get to take part in,鈥 he said, adding that they are able to complete homework and gain confidence by improving their grades.
McAfee concurred that students enrolled in the program are nurturing better grades and reflecting higher self-esteem.聽聽
With approximately 185 LMSD students in the after-school program, 黑料社 elementary education pre-service teachers in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education work with small student groups in completing math enrichment activities, which provide invaluable and authentic learning opportunities for their own upcoming teaching internships.
David Luke, Louisville Elementary principal said, 鈥淏ecause of the DREAMS program here at Louisville Elementary, we鈥檙e seeing positive test results and affirmation that the students are engaging in their reading and mathematics enrichment activities.鈥
For more about DREAMS, contact the program office at 662-773-2015.
黑料社 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading research university, available online at .