Foundation awards California school district $8 million in grants

Many educators believe in the positive impact the Common Core State Standards can have on K-12 education, but lack the financial resources necessary to properly implement them. Fortunately, not every school district has to transition to the new Standards without a helping hand.

In the case of California's Long Beach Unified School District, the helping hand belongs to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The District is the recent recipient of a $3 million grant from the Foundation, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported. This money, in addition to a $5 million grant the District received earlier this year, means the Foundation has awarded Long Beach Unified a total of $8 million in funding.

Using this money, educators within the District will be better able to transition to the CCSS. For example, the funding will be used to cover the cost of professional development training for teachers.

Preparing today's students for tomorrow's challenges is a big focus of the Foundation. The College-Ready Education program and the Postsecondary Success program are two ways in which the Foundation achieves this goal, according to its website.