Montana Schools are getting half a million dollars in federal grant money to improve math and science instruction.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau says a chunk of those funds will go to math programs on the Flathead Reservation. Juneau’s office says over the past five years American Indians’ rate of proficiency in math and science is 30 percent lower than white Montanans.
"Our achievement gap in this state really is between wealthy students and non-wealthy students and American Indian and white students."
The grant funds will also go to support education in rural areas of the state.
"In particularly in rural Montana, there is a big issue right now in recruitment and retention of teachers in those smaller more rural communities, and so we really wanted to put a focus on if there is a teacher who is hired who might not be qualified yet, that we are providing enough professional development in that content area so they can become licensed over the next couple of years and stay in those communities."
The $592,000 in grants comes from the federal Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program.
