MANCHESTER, NH —Manchester School District has received a $500,000 grant from the Barr Foundation to support the implementation of a redesigned school model for Manchester West High School. The grant is part of the foundation’s work aimed at nurturing the development of high school models that leverage the wider learning ecosystem (WLE).
Based in Boston, the Barr Foundation directs its investments to nonprofit organizations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to connect all students to success in high school and beyond.
“West High educators, administration and students have worked extremely hard over the past few years to improve student-centered learning opportunities and have yielded some great results. Over the past three years, West High School improved their graduation rates from 62.98 percent to 73.11 percent,” said Amy Allen, Assistant Superintendent of Schools.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the students and educators at West High School,” said Mayor Joyce Craig. “I’m grateful for the Barr Foundation’s continued investment in our community. As a result of this $500,000 grant, educators will have the opportunity to build upon the successes they’ve achieved in the last three years, and continue to develop programming to help our students succeed during and after high school.”
Redesigning an educational model, takes careful planning, time, and resources. MSD will continue to work with two widely recognized organizations, Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) and Big Picture Learning (BPL), to support this next phase. Both have significant experience in facilitating the kind of transformation Manchester hopes to accomplish. My Turn will also be a contributing partner in the implementation work.
