21st Century Prep wins $206,000 best practices grant

The 21st Century Preparatory School has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as one of 16 Reading Best Practices Model Sites for the 2009-2010 school year.

The recognition comes with a $206,000 grant.

21st Century Preparatory School, located at 1220 Mound Ave., was the first Wisconsin recipient of the federal Reading First grant five years ago. With on-going support from the program, 21st Century student reading scores have risen substantially. One of the major criteria required to become a Reading Best Practices Model Site was to demonstrate outstanding reading achievement in kindergarten through third grade. This year, the third grade students at 21st Century Preparatory School scored above the state average on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination which is given to all Wisconsin third grade students.

The purpose of the grant program is to introduce reading instruction best practices to other schools, by offering high-quality, low-cost professional development and classroom observation opportunities in successful Reading First classrooms.

Eight public schools from southern Wisconsin will be able to partner with 21st Century Preparatory School to receive on-site classroom visits, professional development provided by DPI, and professional development materials for classroom teachers.

Carol Barkow, 21st Century Board President, said, ”We are very pleased to have this opportunity to work with other schools in our area. Our teachers have done an exceptional job working with our students and will look forward to working with other teachers as we all strive to enhance our students reading skills.”

21st Century Preparatory School serves 490 Pre-K though 8th grade students in Racine and is a public school chartered by the University of Wisconsin – Parkside.