The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation last month awarded $1.3 million to two literacy projects.
A four-year, $697,250 grant went to the National Center for Family Literacy in Louisville, Ky., to expand its programs to two additional cities.
The United Way of America received $600,000 to award challenge grants to the local literacy initiatives of six United Way chapters.
The DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund gave $6.5 million last month to three organizations for school-to-work initiatives.
Kansas State University received $3.3 million to work with high school counselors to improve the career decisions of non-college-bound youths.
The Philadelphia-based Public/Private Ventures received $3 million to try to turn low-wage, low-skill jobs held by young people in seven communities into more productive experiences.
The National Youth Employment Coalition in Washington received $230,000 to help local youth-employment groups share information about policies, programs, and legislation.
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation of New York City has published a new report on middle school reform.
“Changing the Odds’’ explores the efforts of five urban school districts--Baltimore, Louisville, Ky., Milwaukee, Oakland, Calif., and San Diego--to improve their middle schools.
The schools are in the fourth year of a six-year, $10 million-to-$12 million Clark Foundation initiative.
Free copies of the report are available from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, 250 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10177-0026; fax: (212) 986-4558. For bulk requests, send a letter explaining how the reports will be used.
The Ford Foundation has named Janice Petrovich as a program officer in its education and culture division.
Ms. Petrovich previously served as the national executive director of ASPIRA, a Washington organization concerned with Latino youth issues.
The C.S. Mott Foundation in Flint, Mich., also recently appointed an education program officer, Donna C. Rhodes.
Ms. Rhodes was most recently the executive director of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education in Washington, a nonprofit group created by the National Education Association.
