The Dougherty County School System awarded schools within the district more than $450,000 in Charter System Innovation Grants to support evidence-based, innovative programs to boost student achievement.

The funding is awarded to the district by the Georgia Department of Education as an incentive for schools get creative in their approaches to remove barriers to learning and grow student achievement in key areas like literacy, science and math as well as school climate and culture sectors like student discipline.

The district then disperses the the funds through a competitive grant process that requires schools and their Local School Governance Teams to submit grant applications that are judged by a panel of community members, former school employees and educators.

Tuesday, awards were announced for seven schools for programs that range from growing STEM (Science, Technology, Math and Engineering) programs and pursuing STEM certification to implementing Restorative Justice programs and practices. The grantees, their programs and award amounts are:

To date, the district has awarded nearly $1.5 million in Charter System Innovation Grants to schools across the district. During the same time period, the district has seen a rise in graduation rates, an increase in the number of students taking college courses through the Dual Enrollment program, increasing test scores and increased school climate and culture at many schools within the district.