LITTLE ROCK — Two schools in east Arkansas have received a combined $6 million in federal School Improvement Grant funds.
The Arkansas Department of Education announced Monday that Wonder Junior High School in West Memphis will receive $3.7 million over three years and Forrest City Junior High School will receive $2.4 million over two years.
Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said the federal grants will allow the schools to implement new programs to improve academic performance.
The state has classified both schools as "priority schools" because of low performance on state assessments.
The Education Department said the schools have proposed a number of initiatives, including before and after school instruction planning, Saturday morning tutoring programs and partnering with higher education to highlight careers in science and math.