LONGVIEW, Texas — Longview ISD has received $3.25 million from the U.S. Department of Education to transform three schools into gaming science and digital arts programs and help attract minority students to magnet school programs.
The school district was awarded the five-year What I Need (WIN) Project grant to fund targeted magnet programs to turn Bailey Elementary and Forest Park Middle School into whole-school gaming science and digital arts magnets and make a new "Gaming Science and Digital Arts High School" to be housed at the Early Graduation campus, LISD said in a statement Tuesday.
This grant also seeks to get minority students more involved in magnet programs. The funding will support the development of educational methods to incorporate real world project-based learning, data science and digital arts.
For example, Longview ISD said elementary students will learn math and science concepts by designing their own video games and middle schoolers will strengthen their writing skills by blogging about their gaming experiences. High school students could have opportunities for industry certifications or internships with local technology companies.
The district said they will also implement student assistance programs, including Peer Assisted Learning Strategies for academic tutoring to elementary and middle school students and a high school mentoring program for at-risk students.
Dr. Craig Coleman, LISD chief innovation officer, said the program has six goals: reducing minority isolation; boosting academic achievement in reading, writing, and math; promoting innovative teaching practices; strengthening career-readiness; engaging the community in school governance; and ensuring equitable access to rigorous coursework.
"By making learning more hands-on and relevant, our goal is to attract a diverse mix of students to these magnet programs," Coleman said. "We want to prevent further isolation of Hispanic and low-income students, while still serving all families in our community with engaging educational options."