East Lubbock Celebrating a $24.5 Million Grant for Schools and Community
By: Ashley Hinson
Updated: February 15, 2013
Texas Tech, L.I.S.D and other community partners gathered at Estacado High School today to celebrate the $24.5 million grant.
The Department of Education selected East Lubbock as one of the 2012 Promise Neighborhoods.
The millions of dollars will allow East Lubbock to radically improve the community and overhaul the way they teach kids at Dunbar, Ervin, Alderson and Estacado.
Students will be able to make practical use of what they're learning in the classrooms and in their new high-quality after school programs.
They'll apply what they learn to solve problems in their community.
The money will also improve health clinics and family learning programs throughout that area.
Scott Ridley, the Texas Tech's Dean for the College of Education and the one who wrote the grant, said it's important for the money to go to both education and the community because in order for kids to learn well in school they must have a positive environment at home.
"We'll talk to church leaders and others in East Lubbock to find out what the issues are that are hampering their community," said Ridley. "Those will become the service learning topics and we'll write the curriculum into activities to address those topics so kids are going to be out in the neighborhood addressing those issues and applying academics. So it's going to be a transformed kind of school day."
The new programs will be implemented at the start of the next school year and the grant will be issued over a five year period.
