SEDL Quickly Identifies Needs of Teachers, Principals Through AT&T GRANT

Thanks to an AT&T Foundation Excelerator grant, SEDL is dramatically increasing capacity to identify urgent educator needs in critical Texas schools. The AT&T Foundation Excelerator grant supports SEDL's Texas Education Survey Capacity Project. The project will help build SEDL's capacity to reach Texas educators and administrators, especially those working with high-need populations. The $10,000 grant was used for the purchase of hardware and software that enables SEDL researchers to apply advanced survey research techniques such as branching, multilevel matrix questions, randomizations, and contingent choices without having to write scripts or program code.

"AT&T is helping SEDL help schools and districts," noted Dr. K. Victoria Dimock, director of SEDL's school improvement work. "Our new survey capacity allows us to quickly assess the needs of teachers, principals, and administrators in the neediest schools and then work with them to develop solutions for improving student outcomes."

The AT&T Excelerator grants are competitive technology grants to help local nonprofit organizations integrate technology into their community outreach. Since its inception in 2002, the AT&T Excelerator program has provided more than 2,500 technology grants totaling more than $39.8 million to a diverse range of nonprofits. AT&T Excelerator is a trademark of AT&T Knowledge ventures, L.P.

About the AT&T Foundation

The AT&T Foundation provides grants to organizations and programs that address quality-of-life issues, with an emphasis on improving education, advancing community development, addressing vital community needs and enhancing unique cultural assets. Implicit within the foundation focus are efforts that advance opportunities for diverse populations.

For more than 60 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have committed $1.8 billion to philanthropic programs supporting education, community development, the arts, health and human services, and technology access in communities across the country. With its strong giving record, the foundation was ranked by Forbes magazine as being among the most generous corporate foundations in 2006.

About SEDL

Founded in 1966, SEDL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving significant education problems and improving teaching and learning through research, research-based resources, and professional development. Some of SEDL's most significant work is Texas focused, including the Texas Comprehensive Center which centers its efforts on helping the state build capacity and support for Title I schools and their underserved populations. For more information about SEDL, visit http://www.sedl.org/about/.