Senior Official from U.S. Dept. of Education to Visit Forsyth County

On Friday morning the spotlight will shine directly on Forsyth County Schools (FCS) with a visit from a senior official within the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

Jim Shelton the assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement will be in town to discuss and review the district’s "Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant."

The DOE in 2010 selected Forsyth County Schools as one of 49 grantees in the nation to receive a $4.7 million i3 grant for the implementation of a project called EngageME P.L.E.A.S.E. (Personalized Learning Experiences Accelerate Standards-based Education)." The goal of the project is to increase student achievement and growth, and overall graduation rates, especially for high-needs students. The project runs in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (the world's largest provider of pre-K-12 solutions), and the University of Georgia.

Jennifer Caracciolo of FCS said in an e-mail that Forsyth County Schools is the only recipient in Georgia and one of 12 public school districts in the nation to be a i3 grantee.

"and , are serving as trailblazer schools and have been working with the i3 team since the beginning of 2011-12, with implementation of the project this year," Caracciolo said.

During Shelton's visit he'll also be visiting with students and teachers at North Forsyth Middle School along with Superintendent L.C. “Buster” Evans and school officials.