Island Institute Receives USDA Distance-Learning Grant

The Island Institute has received one of eight Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants totaling $3.7 million announced Monday in Augusta by USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia A. Manuel.  The nearly $500,000 award made to the Island Institute will be used to purchase and install telecommunications equipment that will connect 24 Maine-island and rural coastal schools, as well as two community resource sites, to a wealth of instructional opportunities worldwide. 

More than 75 teachers and 260 secondary and adult students will take full advantage of the inter-island virtual activities, co-teaching, curriculum-sharing and coordination, teacher support networks, and increased availability of professional-development and higher-education opportunities that this funding will provide. 

Ruth Kermish-Allen, the Institute's education director, was on hand to accept the award, saying "The equipment provided through the USDA Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program will be a true lifeline to hundreds of students and their families.  It will offer a "classroom without walls" for critically needed educational resources and vocational training, and give these learners a chance to become part of a larger educational world."

The awards are designed to benefit healthcare and education in Maine; specifically, 157 schools, two community resource centers, and 10 rural hospitals /nursing homes throughout the state.  Maine received the highest number of recipients and dollar amount in the country for these grants, which will benefit schools or healthcare facilities in every county.  For more information on the Island Institute grant, please contact Ruth Kermish Allen, the Institute's education director, at rallen@islandinstitute.org or 207-594-9209 x117.