In what has been called a model for private-sector school-improvement efforts, the Boston Plan for Excellence in the Public Schools has awarded more than $15,000 to 153area schools for innovative projects in such learning areas as critical-thinking skills, computer literacy, multi-cultural education, and basic skills.
The Boston Plan for Excellence was established last February when the Bank of Boston gave the city schools $1.5 million--said to be the largest gift of its kind to a public-school system--to establish a permanent endowment fund to enhance their educational quality. (See Education Week, Feb. 15, 1984.)
Grant Proposals
Seventy-seven of the city’s 123 public schools submitted proposals for the grants, which ranged from $2,045 to $7,530 and were awarded on a competitive basis.
Endowment officials have announced that a second round of grants will be planned later this year.
“The plan exceeded even our highest expectations,” said Robert R. Spillane, superintendent of the Boston Public Schools. “The quality of proposals was exceptionally strong.”
Mr. Spillane also predicted that the endowment would double before the end of the school year.
--Geraldine Ballotti
