Dow $25,000 grant to boost technology effort at SU Lab

The Southern University Laboratory School has taken another step in improving its technology-driven education delivery system.

A $25,000 Dow Promise Grant has provided the school the funding to update 12 classrooms with SMART Boards, large flat screen monitors that allow teachers to instantly connect, display and provide interaction with real-world information.

"It gives teachers a tool that opens the world in seconds to students that pure textbook-based information can't provide," said Lab School Director Dr. Ronnie Harrison.

The newly equipped classrooms will also allow students to become highly engaged in working with SMART boards and White Board Technology that will increase multi-sensory engagement in learning, he said. Teachers will be able to increase their ability to access multimedia resources and also allow more mobility during whole-class teaching.

"We are appreciative of DOW Chemical's significant contribution to our Lab School.  It will strengthen our efforts to make sure that our students are college and career ready," said Dr. Luria Young, Interim Dean of Education and Superintendent of the Lab School.

Dow Promise is an employee-led initiative of The Dow Chemical Company with a mission to positively impact African-American communities that face education and economic challenges. Representatives of the company will visit the school to see the SMART Boards in operation.

Harrison said, "The DOW Promise Grant aligns with our current transformation at the Lab School and our program's goal to increase an interest in the core subject areas."

"Access to these devices will open up a host of opportunities for our faculty and students," he said. "Our overall goal is to provide more engaging instruction and improved student achievement."

The screens will arrive later this summer and will be ready for use immediately.