The Lexington One Educational Foundation recently awarded a $9,000 grant to Lexington County School District One’s Instructional Services Team to help fund the district’s Homegrown Institute, which will be held this summer on June 20, 22, 27 and 29, 2023. The grant funds will support the growth of new and veteran elementary teachers and specifically build on their English Language Arts base to strengthen their teaching skills.
The Homegrown Summer Institute was launched six years ago when Lexington District One adopted the Teachers College curriculum. Originally the district hired Teachers College consultants to design and deliver the summer learning experience. However, after building the skills of the district’s literacy coaches, this summer institute is now lead by Lexington District One instructors.
In 2022, Lexington District One had 90 teachers from 22 schools across the district attend its Homegrown Institute. The academic focus was on supporting new teachers’ abilities to successfully use the curriculum and implement reading and writing workshops.
This summer the Lexington District One Homegrown Institute’s focus will be to strengthen and grow new and veteran teachers’ abilities to implement reading and writing workshops. The district leadership hopes serve 100 teachers this summer during the 2023 Homegrown Institute.
Lexington District One’s English Language Arts Coordinator Dr. Candace Lett shared, “We are so excited to have the Lexington One Educational Foundation support our teachers this summer through the Homegrown Institute Grant. This summer training is extremely important to our district in providing free training to our elementary and middle school teachers to support their growth as teachers, regardless of their years of experience. Teacher leaning drives student achievement, and this professional learning experience sets teachers up for success on day one of the school year.”
Educational Foundation Executive Director Julie Anderson Washburn shared, “The Lexington One Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to fund this grant that will support our Lexington District One elementary and middle school teachers this summer. It’s a wonderful teacher training program that has had very positive results in past years. It provides desired teaching skills to strengthen each participant’s abilities and ultimately support our students.”
Photo: Lexington District One’s English Language Arts Coordinator Dr. Candace Lett
