Non-profit invests $450K to close pandemic learning gaps in Canutillo schools

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A non-profit awarded a grant of almost half a million dollars to one borderland school district to improve students' performance in both Algebra and English.

CREEED gave the Canutillo Independent School District a grant of $450,000 for eighth-grade students to receive accelerated and intensive instruction in Algebra and English.

According to the announcement made Thursday, the money is intended for eighth-grade students who were fifth graders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose studies were disrupted.

Both CREEED and Canutillo ISD hope this initiative will close any learning gaps created by the pandemic.

“By providing additional support and time for students to focus on these critical subjects, we are ensuring they go into high school with the foundational knowledge they need to succeed,” said CREEED Board Chair Richard A. Castro. “After all, our goal is to ensure all students in El Paso are college-ready by the time they graduate high school, and one way to deliver on this promise is by ensuring students can successfully complete Algebra I and English I by the time they finish middle school.”

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The initiative will increase the hours students spend on these two subjects and allow for small-group instruction for students who require additional support to master the subject at the "MEETS" level of assessment, advancing students' preparation for post-secondary education.

"Canutillo ISD is committed to meeting the needs of all of our students and ensuring their continued success throughout their academic careers as they pursue college preparation,” said Superintendent Dr. Pedro Galaviz. “We are deeply grateful to CREEED for their unwavering commitment to education and our students. This grant allows us to accommodate the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic and achieve our goal of having Canutillo ISD students reach College Career and/or Military Readiness upon graduating from our high schools.”

This new grant will build on and expand on previous grants CREEED awarded to Canutillo ISD in 2019 and 2020 worth a total of $225,000 to increase access to Algebra classes for its middle school students.

According to CREEED, since the first grant in 2019 grant, Canutillo ISD has increased the number of middle school students enrolled in Algebra by 54% and has seen a 45% increase in the number of students achieving “MEETS” grade level on the STAAR exam.

CREEED's support of Canutillo ISD to date totals $675,000.

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