(WASHINGTON, DC) — Today, DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Lewis Ferebee welcomed U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Turner Elementary School to announce the Department of Education’s Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program grantees, for which the host school is a recipient, in addition to Hendley Elementary School. DCPS will receive a $2.5 million grant award to expand the Connected Schools model to these Ward 8 schools over the next five years. In addition to the announcement, Secretary Cardona participated in a Connected Schools roundtable to discuss the impact of the program with DC education champion Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC State Superintendent of Education Dr. Christina Grant, and a host of community stakeholders.

“I’m thankful for the Department of Education’s partnership and their commitment to supporting full-service community schools through our Connected Schools model,” said Chancellor Ferebee. “This award from the Department of Education will solidify Connected Schools as a foundational element to serving students in Ward 8. Turner and Hendley Elementary Schools will now be able to extend their support of the whole child and further take care of student needs beyond the classroom.”

With the Department of Education’s grant award, Turner and Hendley Elementary Schools will support the hiring of a full-time Connected Schools Manager. Connected Schools also allow for robust afterschool programming, mental health services, and tutoring, among other community-based resources.

In 2018, DCPS launched the Connected Schools model at Kramer Middle School, Kelly Miller Middle School, and Moten Elementary School through a Department of Education Full-Service Community Schools grant. Since that inaugural cohort, Mayor Muriel Bowser has invested $7 million over the past five years to expand the model across public schools the district. Through this investment, DCPS has partnered with more than 200 organizations to engage almost 2,500 individuals across 14 schools. 

Learn more about DCPS Connected Schools — Anacostia HS, Ballou HS, Cardozo EC, Dunbar HS, Eliot-Hine MS, Hart MS, Hendley ES, Johnson MS, Kelly Miller MS, Kramer MS, Langley ES, Moten ES, Sousa MS, and Turner ES at dcpsconnectedschools.org. 

###