Classroom Support

Learning Grows in the F.AVE Garden!

Fifth grade teacher Ms. Wise of F.AVE Upper Elementary was awarded a DEF Teacher Innovation Grant recently to reinvigorate the school garden. Ms. Wise manages the school garden and has already begun fall garden planting with her students. Over the last few weeks, they have planted two types of collards, several types of lettuces, radishes, sorrel, kale, and rainbow chard. The students are also assembling trellises for sugar snap peas to climb. The garden serves as a living laboratory where students…

Fueling the BEST ideas: DEF Opens Grant Applications for Both Teachers and Students

It’s that time of year again: we are launching the annual Teacher Innovation Grant application process! Decatur Education Foundation has been awarding teacher grants since 2002, and last year we awarded more than $35K in funds to City Schools of Decatur teachers in almost every school in the district. These grants provide funding for our teachers to enhance classroom learning by introducing new books, technology and equipment, addressing different learning styles, and bringing creative ideas to life. We hope to…

Kids Playing Game Together

Don’t Tell the Kids: Oakhurst Game Center Promotes Reading & Creative Thinking

Oakhurst Media Specialist Erin Guerrieri and Enrichment Teacher Shannon Staton wrote a grant to create a Game Center in a corner of the school library. The Center is now open for use by classrooms, students and families for equitable access to high-quality games that promote relationship building, collaborative competition and creative thinking. In other words, “Fun Learning”! Studies have shown that playing games together is an age-appropriate, high interest way to improve reading skills. The afterschool math and reading “Lightbulb…

DHS Students Explore Storytelling through Film

Christopher Brune’s title is “English Language Arts teacher” at Decatur High School, but he recently expanded his repertoire when he became one of two teachers of the brand-new IB HL Film class in the 2022-2023 school year. A few months into teaching this class of junior and senior students, Brune realized the class needed new filmmaking equipment and access to more movies for the students to analyze. “The DEF grant [will] provide students with the necessary equipment and knowledge to…

The Blue & Gold Squad Grows to Include More Student-Athletes

For six years now, DEF has helped fund the Blue & Gold Squad, a grassroots mentoring program at the high school that was the brainchild of Special Education teacher Beth Lewis to establish one-on-one relationships between faculty and the DHS football team. In the beginning, the Squad connected a teacher or CSD staff member with a member of the football team to support them in their transition from 3A to 5A.  As many good ideas do, the Blue & Gold…

Two Students Writing In Journals

Meet Our Partners: Paint Love

You may have heard of Paint Love from last year’s Poetry Slam at Renfroe Middle School. DEF supported Paint-Love’s collaboration with the school through its Zara’s Arts Infusion Fund. Besides partnering with DEF through several Zara’s Fund projects, Paint Love is also our new neighbor! They moved in down the hall from the DEF offices last year. Paint Love was founded in 2014 by Atlanta artist Julie McKevitt with the mission of bringing extraordinary arts programming to youth, especially those…

People On The Bus

Catching a Ride Towards a Bright Future

For the group of DHS students who enrolled in college classes at Georgia State University (GSU), the course material should be the most challenging aspect of taking these classes, not finding transportation to the nearby college. GSU offers an Early College Program that provides dual enrollment opportunities for minority groups, specifically students of color, low income students, and first-generation college students. While dozens of DHS students are a part of this program, their participation was limited by transportation barriers. Career…

20 Years of DEF!

DEF is celebrating 20 years of supporting Decatur’s kids! For 20 years, we have worked closely with parents, teachers and City Schools of Decatur to bring our students the tools they need to learn and thrive. There have been a lot of changes across 20 years, but DEF has remained steadfast in its mission of solving the problems our kids face by connecting people, resources and ideas. Throughout the coming months, we’ll be taking a look back at our growth…

Step Up For Teachers Yard Sign

Step Up for Teachers!

It's that time of year again -- time to Step Up for Teachers! And what a year it's been. Show your favorite teacher just how much you appreciate their hard work during this unprecedented school year with a loving tribute. Just go to www.stepupforteachers.com, make a $25 donation and leave your tribute. We'll notify the honored teacher or CSD staff member and deliver a "We Step Up for Teachers" yard sign to your door in the coming weeks. The Step…

Anti-racism Education at RMS

Decatur Education Foundation partnered with Renfroe Middle School and retired Georgia State University professor Pearl McHaney to purchase copies of Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism and You by young adult author Jason Reynolds for every seventh grader, seventh grade teacher, and administrator at Renfroe Middle School. Tailored toward young adult readers, Stamped is a remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s adult book Stamped from the Beginning: The History of Racism in America. Both books have been highlighted on lists of recommendations, such as “Books May Sow Seeds of…

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