The Woburn Community Educational Foundation (WCEF) is excited to announce of the award a $100,000 grant through Cummings Foundation’s “100k for 100” program.  WCEF was chosen from a total of 479 applicants, as part of a competitive review process.

“We are beyond excited to be the recipient of a “100k for 100” grant from the Cummings Foundation”, expressed WCEF Executive Director Maureen Willis, “This award not only supports an important new project in the Woburn Public Schools, but also is a tremendous boost in status for our relatively young organization.  We could not be more honored and grateful to the Cummings Foundation for this wonderful investment in our work.”

The “100k for 100” grant will fund a 5-year pilot project to provide the Lexia Core 5 Reading Program as a district-wide initiative to improve reading skills for the lowest performing students in kindergarten through grade 3 in the Woburn Public Schools.

“WCEF funded the Lexia Program at the Hurld School as part of our 2015 round of Educator Grants”, explains Willis.  “The success of this program, based on teacher excitement and student advancement, inspired us develop this project as a district-wide initiative.”

“In 2016 we received requests for 7 different Lexia projects from Woburn educators,” she continues. “Our teachers see the value of Lexia as an educational tool that can improve their students’ literacy and reading comprehension.  Over the 5-year term of this project, we estimate that up to 1000 children will benefit from the Lexia Reading Program.  Students in kindergarten through grade 3 “learn to read” and by grade 4, must “read to learn”.  Our goal is to make substantial progress towards an outcome that has all students reading at grade level by grade 3, and on the road to academic success in grade 4.  This project has the potential to ensure the future achievement of an entire class of Woburn High School graduates.”

The Woburn Community Educational Foundation (WCEF) is a private nonprofit organization formed in 2014 with a mission to increase private investment and community involvement in the Woburn Public Schools. Our goal is to support educational programs and initiatives that empower teacher creativity and drive innovation in the classroom beyond that which is possible with public dollars. We work to bring new resources to our schools to provide grants directly to teachers, fund opportunities for professional development and make investments in curriculum and technology as tools in learning.  Learn more about WCEF at www.woburnedfoundation.org.

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester.  With assets exceeding $1 billion, it is one of the largest foundations in New England.  Additional information is available at www.cummingsfoundation.org.