Supporting educational opportunities for youth, beginning with kindergarten and continuing through high school graduation, is a cornerstone of Carver Trust giving. Grant-making activities in this area may be divided into three, broad categories, each with the goal of enhancing access to resources and the application of innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
School-based program initiatives are generally considered in the subjects of reading literacy, science and mathematics. Projects of this type often take the form of university- or education agency-led research efforts, implemented across multiple sites within the Trust’s geographical area of interest and are intended to test new approaches to instruction and curriculum. Also included under school-based initiatives is strategic capital assistance to select residential treatment facilities, which may seek Trust assistance for the improvement and expansion of classroom facilities and educational technology used by on-campus students.
Out-of-school learning opportunities offered by various nonprofit groups and agencies are also recognized as contributing to K-12 education. Such endeavors include special offerings by colleges and universities, museums, science centers, zoos, aquariums and other organizations that address the Trust’s priority interests in reading literacy, science and mathematics and align with the instructional needs and goals of area schools; efforts devoted to the unique academic needs of at-risk and underserved youth through the development of summer, after school or similar programs in the Trust’s local region of interest may also be considered.
A third category is student scholarship, and is specifically focused on the Trust’s special relationship with the Muscatine community. Support for the annual Excellence in Education program honors and celebrates students, staff and faculty within the Muscatine Community School District through the provision of recognition awards and scholarship assistance at the middle and high school levels.