Houston ISD receives more than $1.5M in literacy grants

The Houston Independent School District has received more than $1.5 million in literacy grants.

A grant in the amount of $839,000 from the Texas Education Agency's Student Success Initiative will be used to help struggling students in the district.

Around $225,000 from that grant will be used for math interventions. The remaining money will be used for reading interventions, helping students who are reading far below their grade level, according to a school district press release.

Tutors will be hired and teachers will be given supplemental pay to help improve the reading levels of students. Instructional materials will also be purchased with the money.

The other grant is worth $750,000 and was given by the U.S. Department of Education to help students get more access to reading materials and allow for the library hours at Kashmere Elementary, Key Middle School and Kashmere High School to be extended.

The money from the second grant has also been used for the purchase of laptop computers and iPods that will be used in the classrooms. A librarian at Kashmere High School will also be paid with part of the money.

"At the end of the two-year grant, an external evaluator will assess our progress to see if we are meeting our objectives," said Annetra Piper, Houston ISD's manager of grant development, in the release.

For more information, visit www.houstonisd.org.