Many of you will read the award submissions on this site due to the fact that you were taught to read by a teacher in the public schools. Many children in South Bend have a poor start in this effort due to dyslexia, life situations and lack of early literacy experiences. Can anyone think of a more worthy effort than to make sure that our communities’ children have every opportunity to succeed?

On behalf of the board of directors, South Bend School Teachers, Students and Parents, we are pleased to have been nominated for the Force for Good award. Recognition of the need for student achievement is at the heart of what we do at the Education Foundation.

We need your vote to continue our efforts! A few of our successful efforts follow:

Reading Programs: To date, we have invested in professional development in reading for nine schools and the ISTEP results are showing large gains in reading. In fact, the nine schools that we have trained show an average of over 15% increase last year. We wish to thank our community supporters for this huge gain in reading, which will provide a lifetime of learning for our students. The reading program has been implemented in Coquillard, Harrison, Hay, Lincoln, Madison, Marquette, Muessel, Perley, and Wilson Primary Centers.

We take great care to implement a five-day reading training, purchase the teacher and student materials and make sure that the program is supported. Winning this award would help the Foundation spread the message of the difference that the reading program is making for the students of South Bend Schools.

Strategic Goals:

As the founding board of directors stated in the very first strategic plan:

By creating a strong endowment for The Public Education Foundation, Inc, we will give the South Bend Community School Corporation greater flexibility in meeting the needs of the students and a greater opportunity for excellence in education. We will give our community more insightful leadership and a more capable workforce. We will give our children a better education and a better future. Not just for now – but for always.

Teacher Grant Program: Another one of the four strategic plan goals of the Foundation is to endow the teacher grant program. Since 1995, we have raised $258,758 for 226 innovative teacher grants. Grants like this are not possible without public support and make a real difference.

The board of directors of The Public Education Foundation has committed to endow the teacher grant process in order to sustain the granting of a minimum of $20,000 annually for innovative classroom grants for teachers. The grants are a logical vehicle to maximize the endowment growth as the Foundation looks to enhance program stability to address critical educational needs for South Bend’s school children. The initial goal of the teacher grant endowment is $500,000 of which $100,000 has been raised to date and invested with the Community Foundation.

One example of a successful past teacher grant is the Girlfriends program at Washington High School. This program began as a result of an innovative teacher grant. The grant allows staff to teach young women about personal goal setting, respectful behavior, and many lifelong strategies.

Another teacher grant was the Dance Dance Revolution program. Reluctant student exercisers were encouraged to dance with the program. One parent relayed the following conversation as a result of the grant:
Child: Mom, we were dancing all day today, my legs are so tired.
Mom: That’s because you aren’t used to exercising.
Child: Mom, we weren’t exercising – we were dancing!
As the teacher expressed to the Foundation in the final grant report, “The students love the DDR and often don’t realize they are getting a workout …” The goal of the grant was met with an innovative way to get children moving toward a more healthy lifestyle by showing students that fitness can be fun.

A primary teacher thought of ways to implement the 3-R’s project-Respect, Responsibility, and Really Good Manners through literature, mini lessons and recognition programs, while another used backpacks to bring companion bilingual books to families with dual languages at home. These innovative grants bring depth and richness to teaching that would not be possible without the grants.

The Foundation has also been instrumental in providing the seed money for Early College, after school tutoring at the high school, character education program, student planners at the middle school and many more worthwhile efforts.

Our children are our community’s greatest resource. At The Public Education Foundation, Inc., we are in a position to attest to the good work that has been done in the South Bend public schools as a result of public support. We feel strongly that with your help The Public Education Foundation, Inc. will continue to the founding directors’ unwavering passion and commitment to give children every opportunity to learn. We gratefully request your vote today for the Force for Good award. Thank you.

Respectfully Submitted on Behalf of the South Bend Public Education Foundation Board of Directors and staff,
Susan L. Warner
Executive Director