Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will receive $7.2 million for school districts to help with student behavioral health under the Middle School Success: The Path to Graduation (P2G) grant program.
“Pennsylvania must do everything we can to ensure every student is able to succeed, no matter the circumstance,” said Governor Wolf. “This grant is critical to helping teachers, administrators and faculty to provide the critical services and resources to schools and students.”
More than 24,000 Pennsylvania students are currently identified as having behavioral needs, which could lead to chronic absenteeism and inhibit post-graduate or career success.
To better help students, school districts across the commonwealth will receive funds to aid in ongoing professional development to ensure that every student can succeed.
“The Wolf Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Education have made a commitment to preparing students for success, whether in college and career,” said Secretary Rivera. “This grant aligns with that mission and will provide more resources to ensure that our important work continues.”
Through evidenced-based instructional practices, P2G will help local educational agencies address the academic and behavioral needs of middle school students with disabilities and students with emotional and behavioral needs. This will result in:
• School personnel will be better equipped to implement intervention methods and support at-risk students.
• Resources will be developed to provide parents and guardians with educational materials.
• Middle school building teams will utilize an early warning system to implement action plans for at-risk students.
• Institutions of Higher Education will partner with PDE to prepare preservice teachers to analyze critical data that impacts graduation and dropout rates.
The P2G grant will begin in October and extend over the course of the next five years. For more information about Pennsylvania’s education policies and programs, or to read PDE Secretary Rivera’s budget testimony, visit the Department of Education’s website at www.education.pa.gov or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.