Microgrants have achieved great things! Technology know-how has been vastly improved with 3D printers, digital imaging laptops, science experiment labs, computer coding lessons, and robotics. Creative capacity and critical thinking have been boosted with hands-on equipment for theatre, music, and fine arts. Museum field trips have deepened human understanding and empathy.

 

This year, grant applications have been increasingly for literacy projects. The pandemic has smacked American students back to the last century in math and reading achievement. In national reading assessments, one third of 4th and 8th grade students can’t read at even the “basic” achievement level—the lowest level on the test; the rest are performing on par with students from the 1990s. We need students to catch up on this vital life skill, and teachers are making a plea for innovative literacy programs.