Funding, Grants & Awards

Harford County Schools Receives Digital Conversion Grant

• By Leila Meyer
• 10/24/16

Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) in Maryland has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Partnership Grant Program. The district will use the grant for its digital conversion initiative in five schools.

The schools — Aberdeen High, Aberdeen Middle, Roye-Williams Elementary, Meadowvale Elementary and Churchville Elementary School — are in close proximity to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, a United States Army research and development facility located in Aberdeen, MD. The schools currently have limited access to technology and will use the funding to purchase network equipment and devices.

"As curriculum transitions to an online platform, there is a pressing need for increasing the ratio of devices to students in our schools," said Barbara P. Canavan, superintendent of Harford County Public Schools, in a statement..

The district's digital conversion initiative will implement blended learning reading and English language arts (ELA) programs that combine traditional classroom instruction with online learning. The blended learning program is intended to help teachers individualize reading and ELA instruction for their students by allowing students to progress through the material at their own pace. Canavan said she believes the program will "significantly increase students’ academic success in reading, English and language arts."

Many of the students in the schools have parents who work for the military or the federal government. The school district has previously received four other grants through the DoDEA Partnership Grant Program, which was established in 2009 with the goal of "influencing successful educational outcomes for military-connected students," according to information on the DoDEA site.