Continuing his fight to empower low-income students in our public classrooms, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) was proud to announce that the City of Passaic has been awarded a $609,825 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.  The grant comes from the Advanced Placement Incentive (API) Program which aims to increase participation of low-income students in advanced placement middle and high school courses and tests.

“I am committed to providing low-income students with the resources they need to advance in the incredibly competitive college admission process,” stated Pascrell, a former high school teacher.  “This grant will create more opportunities for low-income students in the Passaic public schools to reach the highest levels of academia.  The Advanced Passaic Program will ensure that a more diverse set of students get on the track to academic excellence early, and remain on it until they enroll in an institution of higher education.”  

The program as administered by the Passaic Public Schools will be used to enhance the Advanced Passaic (AP) program.  Advanced Passaic seeks to increase the successful participation in advanced placement courses and tests- and ultimately higher education- of the overwhelmingly low-income student population in the Passaic Public Schools.  AP will expand the rigor of middle and high school pre-advanced placement programming to enable the predominantly low-income students to achieve higher standards in English, mathematics, science, and other core subjects.

”With the economic crisis in public education this grant is a real opportunity for the Passaic public schools to enhance student services in a very positive way,” stated Dr. Robert H. Holster, the Superintendent of Passaic Public Schools.  “This will allow our district to set new standards and place students on the right track for college admissions.  This is a golden opportunity and we are thankful of the Congressman for being so active with public schools.”

Advanced Passaic set out to increase the number of students enrolled in AP courses; increase the rigor of advanced placement courses; and increase the number and diversity of low-income students who enroll in and complete college preparatory programs.

The API grant program awards support activities to increase the participation of low-income students in both pre-AP and AP courses.  Grants support development, enhancement, or expansion of pre-AP courses aligned AP courses in core academic classes.  Funding is to be used for:
• Professional development for teachers
• Curriculum development
• Purchase of books and supplies
• Activites directly related to expanding access to and participation in PA courses and tests for low-income students
 
Last week, Pascrell announced that the Passaic public schools were awarded $43,450 in the federal Secure Our Schools program to enhance school safety.

 

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