Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 has been announced as a grant recipient from the U.S. Department of Education as part of its Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program. WPS60 joins 41 educational institutions nationwide which were awarded grants to assist with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.

District 60 will receive approximately $3.5 million over the course of five years to help create and implement evidence-based programs designed to improve academic achievement. The funds received from the grant will be utilized to expand the District’s STEM and computer science education, as well as create a K-12 Computer Science Course Pathway. Teachers and students will receive state of the art resources, and teachers will have the opportunity to gain a Computer Science degree and take college level computer science courses in Waukegan.

These programs are aimed at increasing teacher aptitude in both computer science and STEM. Additionally, the grant will target student achievement in both math and science, student interest in STEM, as well as create access to high-quality resources and opportunities for future STEM careers. Following the grant’s implementation, each school’s program will undergo an evaluation so that other districts may learn from its results.