Zion Elementary School District Receives Second Federal Grant to Extend School Improvement Projects With Evans Newton Incorporated

Market Wire, August, 2004

Zion Elementary School District #6 has received notification that Shiloh Park School has been awarded a federal Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) grant. Shiloh Park becomes the second school in the district to receive special funding this year for initiatives aimed at increasing student achievement. The project will focus on improved performance in mathematics and reading for students in grades K-6. Evans Newton Incorporated (ENI), an educational consulting and publishing group with over thirty years of experience at helping improve student achievement, will work with Shiloh Park on this project.

"We are honored to receive our second Comprehensive School Reform grant of the year. This grant will give us an extra boost as we move forward with our plans to improve students' education," says Dr. Constance Collins, Zion superintendent. "We are excited about the growth we expect from working with Evans Newton. ENI's work that is underway in our other CSR site, Central Junior High, is showing great promise. We feel confident that Shiloh Park will see similar invigoration of their instructional program."

ENI is working with Zion to implement the TargetTeach® model at both schools. Implementation includes a thorough review of instructional materials, resulting in the best possible alignment of instruction to the Illinois state standards. ENI will also help educators at both schools measure student progress throughout the school year by using incremental tests. Results will be shared with teachers and administrators to help them address students' immediate needs and plan for future instruction.

Dr. Maurice Byrd, now assistant superintendent of Zion Elementary School District, was instrumental in initiating the grant process this past spring when he was principal of Shiloh Park. Dr. Byrd's replacement, Brian Greene, will oversee the implementation of the planned changes scheduled to begin this fall.

"We couldn't be more excited for Zion School District and the opportunity these grants will provide for them," says Jamie Piotti, ENI's CEO. "Receiving a second grant so quickly indicates the support and faith that is being placed in Dr. Collins and her staff. We look forward to seeing great strides in student achievement."

About Zion Elementary School District #6

Zion Elementary School District #6 lies within the boundaries of the city and serves a diverse student population of three thousand students. The district is composed of five K-6 buildings, one junior high school, and the Lakeview Administrative Office/Early Childhood Center. All buildings are Title I schoolwide with 62% of the student body identified as low income. The racial/ethnic breakdown is 47% black, 29% Hispanic, and 23% white/non-Hispanic.

About ENI (www.evansnewton.com)

Evans Newton Incorporated is the nation's leading developer of focused instructional strategies and teacher planning tools aligned to state standards for primary and secondary schools. ENI partners with school districts around the country to develop a research-based approach for implementing standards-based instruction and promoting teacher effectiveness. The majority of ENI employees are former educators possessing expertise in developing curriculum tools designed to promote student proficiency on state and standardized testing. Since 1973, ENI's mission has been to develop district-specific, customized curricula based on proven teaching methods, a basic tenet of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Zion School District #6
2200 Bethesda Blvd.
Zion, IL 60099
Phone (847) 872-5455
Fax (847) 731-1389

Loren Sucher Evans Newton Incorporated 15941 N. 77th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Phone: (480) 998-2777, ext. 277 Fax: (480) 951-2895 lsucher@evansnewton.com