Seidel School Earns $487,455 Emergency Education Relief Fund Grant

SALISBURY, MD---For 95 years, Salisbury University has had a strong relationship with local Wicomico County students and schools.

That relationship will continue to grow with the announcement of a $487,455 Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund grant from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to enhance the educations of hundreds of local middle and high school students over the next two years.

Partnering with Wicomico County Public Schools, the grant will fund a two-level virtual college and career readiness boot camp for 100 high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates to address possible learning gaps created by school closures and virtual learning associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. SU faculty and high school teachers from the area will collaborate to develop the program’s curriculum. 

The grant will fund up to 300 students from Horizons Delmarva and other low-income middle and high school students to participate in SU’s Summer Enrichment Academies (SEA) through the next two summers. Students who complete the boot camp and SEA will earn “microcredentials,” or digital badges, to display their accomplishments.

SU teaching candidates benefit from the grant with the opportunity to co-teach with faculty and local teachers at both SEAs and the boot camp.

“The ultimate goal of any education program is to make a positive impact on the educational system, particularly in their local community,” said Dr. Laurie Henry, dean of SU’s Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and principal investigator for the grant. “With the MSDE grant, we have the ability to not only further the education of SU teaching candidates, but to assist in the educational future of hundreds of local students by helping to address opportunity gaps that exist.”

SU’s SEAs offer in-depth educational experiences in a variety of disciplines including leadership, arts, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies.

Horizons Delmarva provides low-income, public school students in Wicomico and Worcester counties with an intensive academic Summer Learning Program and year-round support to transform the lives of students caught in the achievement gap.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.