EEF Grants Over $83,000 to 4J Schools in Second Round of Funding for 2021-22 School Year 

Eugene, OR – The Eugene Education Foundation Board of Directors is thrilled to announce an additional $83,674.62 in grant funds to be distributed to schools and district level programs in Eugene School District 4J, in the second of two rounds of funding for the 2021-22 school year.   Combined with the grants awarded in Fall 2021, EEF has invested a total of  $223,150 in standard grants this year.  

The funding categories for grants awarded during this round included literacy, STEM, art and music, social emotional learning, and physical education.  Some examples of grants that advance innovation and support overall student success include: Cesar Chávez Elementary School’s Adapted Books for the Inclusive Instruction of Diverse Learners, which provided a set of classroom books adapted to help students with learning disabilities to increase their reading level while remaining in the classroom with their peers; Spencer Butte Middle School’s Vernier GoDirect Sensor Probes, which provided temperature and weather probes for students to monitor climatic conditions in a chemistry lab or outside in environmental monitoring; and Arts & Technology Academy’s Electronic Music Foundational Equity Fund, which provided midi keyboards and headphones for students to compose digital music on school iPads. 

Many of the applications awarded have an emphasis on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in materials and curriculum, or addressing the growing need for student mental health support. Applications received during both rounds of funding highlight the impact the pandemic has had on children’s ability to focus and moderate behavior in the classroom. 

Most notably, EEF awarded $10,000 for a district level grant for Conscious Discipline program materials for K-1 teachers. Conscious Discipline is an evidence-based social-emotional learning and classroom management strategy that is currently being implemented in kindergarten and first grade classrooms in 4J’s Title I elementary schools.  The positive results in classrooms using Conscious Discipline have included fewer behavioral incidents, less tardiness and absenteeism, increased empathy, and even higher reading scores.  

Mariah Engle, a Kindergarten teacher at Cesar Chavez Elementary, shared how Conscious Discipline has transformed her classroom: 

“Conscious Discipline takes us from an unconscious, reactive state, to a conscious, mindful place of personal and communal awareness. I finally feel like I am not only providing children with the skills they need to succeed academically, but I am also providing them with skills to succeed in life, both emotionally and socially. I am also growing and becoming a happier and more fulfilled person through this work”.  

Since 1993, EEF has been the Foundation for 4J, connecting the generous support of donors, corporate sponsors, and school/parent partnerships with programs that create opportunities for equity, access, and engagement in learning for 4J students. Throughout the pandemic, EEF offered two grant cycles per year to ensure that educators had access to resources needed to continue to provide high quality education in the face of compounding adversity. As the district transitions away from pandemic era policies, EEF will revert to offering just one grant cycle per year, beginning in the fall of 2022. 

Started during the pandemic, EEF will also continue to fund Urgent Needs and Rosie’s Fund requests on a rolling basis to provide individual interventions to students who are in crisis or are facing other significant barriers to learning. This school year, to date, EEF has granted $15,232 in Urgent Needs requests and $29,820 in Rosie’s Fund support. 

EEF receives much of the funding needed to provide ongoing support to 4J schools through an annual fundraising dinner. For the first time in two years, the event will be held on May 13th at 5:30 pm at the Kidsports Fieldhouse at Civic Park. To attend, donate, or find more information about On Track For Success: EEF’s Annual Dinner, please visit: https://bit.ly/EEFannualdinner22.

EEF will be hosting two additional fundraising events this year to provide more opportunities for folks to show their support for excellence in public education. Stay tuned for more details about the summer winery event and community 5K/fun run in the fall!

Support from organizations like Thermo Fisher Scientific, SELCO Community Credit Union, Sunrise Asian Food Market, Pape’ Group, Bigfoot Beverages, and Palo Alto Software, along with many other businesses and individuals, make it possible for EEF to support 4J with annual grants.  

Visit http://www.eeflane.org to learn how to support EEF, and to help make learning happen.