West Dallas Educators Receive Boost to Fuel Learning
The holidays came early for 36 West Dallas educators when they were surprised in their classrooms this November with the news that they’d been awarded a DRIVE Presented by Toyota educational grant. Created in partnership with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD), DRIVE grants recognize the community impact of Driving Resilience, Inclusion, Value and Enrichment. Specifically, the awards support projects designed to strengthen communities in West Dallas.
Grants worth $500 to $3,000 were awarded through an application process to initiatives from teachers, librarians, principals and assistant principals, coordinators and counselors, plus music, art and theatre arts instructors. Once the programs are selected, UWMD works with the Dallas ISD’s Education Foundation to fund the items budgeted in the teachers’ grant proposals. Of particular note this year is funding for two classes to visit NASA.
The DRIVE Presented by Toyota grant provides financial support to select educators in the Pinkston feeder pattern. These grants are to be used for classroom enhancements, field trips, technology, and more, and are approved by the principal of each school prior to submission. A program such as this one, which started in West Dallas and encompasses our first Driving Possibilities school, is equally important for our other Driving Possibilities schools. Empowering and equipping our teachers and administrators to be innovative will benefit all students.
Spanning classrooms from PreK to 12th grade, a total of $78,000 was awarded in 2023. Of the 36 grants awarded, four went to teachers at the West Dallas STEM School.
Below are the West Dallas schools awarded DRIVE Presented by Toyota grants this year:
- Stevens Park Elementary School
- Jesús Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard
- Eladio R. Martinez Learning Center
- C.F. Carr Elementary School
- Gabe P. Allen Charter School
- West Dallas STEM School
- L.G. Pinkston High School
