WACO, Texas – The Education Service Center Region 12 Technology Foundation recently surprised educators in 13 school districts with nearly $77,000 in grant funds to support educational technology programs. Collectively, these funds will serve 3,783 students in eight area counties.
McLennan County
La Vega ISD’s Primary School received $7,775 to provide Bee-bot programmable robots that will introduce young students to coding with the goal of increasing literacy skills through hands-on activities.
Mart ISD’s High School received $4,434 to provide Pocketlab sensors that can measure motion, altitude, light, air quality, weather factors, temperature and more to allow students to collect, analyze and interact with data.
Riesel ISD’s High School received $7,464 to create a career and technical entrepreneurial makerspace for students to apply knowledge and to supply materials to create products.
Robinson ISD’s Primary School received $4,232 - G.E.A.R. (Give Exposure and Access Readily) will provide devices to students who need alternative communication methods due to speech/language deficits, medical conditions or other barriers to communication.
Bell & Coryell Counties
Academy ISD’s Elementary School received $1,376 to provide Storypods, a screen-free, interactive audio device that engages children independently & makes learning fun with stories, songs and lessons in English and Spanish to increase students' academic performance, independence and proficiency in reading.
Killeen ISD’s Oveta Culp Hobby Elementary School received $5,000 to provide technology, such as watches and materials for students to learn emotional self-regulation and coping skills through practice and games.
Copperas Cove ISD’s House Creek Elementary School received $9,055 to build a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program to offer students opportunities for progressive and continuous STEM education.
Hill & Bosque Counties
Hillsboro ISD’s Junior High School received $7,216 to provide interactive technology to supply English language learners with engaging, targeted lessons.
Walnut Springs ISD received $8,400 to acquire an interactive projector to facilitate interactive learning in physical education and other electives
Navarro County
Rice ISD’s Elementary School received $1,073 to provide technology to increase language learning skills through fun and interactive software
Rice ISD’s High School received $1,999 to begin a makerspace in the gifted and talented classroom to provide students with opportunities to create and innovate using science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Freestone & Limestone Counties
Dew ISD received $9,943 to create a robotics lab that will provide students with hands-on inquiry with higher-level technology used in different careers.
Groesbeck ISD’s H.O. Whitehurst Elementary School received $8,915 to provide
equipment for teachers to record and analyze their teaching and improve instruction.
"The ESC Region 12 Education Technology Foundation became part of our vision 11 years ago. To present grant money that helps Region 12 schools place instructional technology in the hands of students is an exciting victory," said Jerry Maze, Ed.D., executive director of ESC Region 12. "We are proud to support our schools in their efforts to give all students first-class technology in the classroom."
Including these grants, the ESC Region 12 Technology Foundation has awarded nearly $608,000 to school districts and charter schools, serving 27,349 students in Central Texas.
ABOUT ESC REGION 12 TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION: ESC Region 12 Technology Foundation is a nonprofit organization formed by ESC Region 12 in 2012 to continually leverage resources and drive more money to students and teachers in the classroom.