Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Ford Motor Company Fund Announce Major Education Grants

July 11, 2011 - PRLog -- ATLANTA- Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Ford Motor Company Fund today announced a $20,000 contribution from Ford and Metro Atlanta Ford dealers that will fund grants for local school systems to implement -Ford PAS Next Generation Learning.   The first two grants will be awarded to the Newton County School System and the Hapeville Charter College and Career Academy.  A competition for three additional grants will be held this fall for schools interested in implementing the Ford PAS curriculum.  Ford PAS offers interdisciplinary, inquiry-based and team-focused learning for high school students.

“I appreciate the generosity of Ford Motor Company and Ford dealers from across the Atlanta area to ensure our students are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st Century global economy,” said Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.  “Through our partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund and the great work of our educators across the state, we are able to work with local schools and communities to provide cutting edge ideas for relevant, career based education that will give every student a personal pathway to success.”

This announcement was made at the annual meeting of the Georgia Association of Career and Technical Education.  During the meeting, GACTE presented Lt. Governor Cagle with their Policy Maker of the Year award.  Currently, 3 Georgia communities, Floyd County, Newton County, and Effingham County, are affiliated with the Ford PAS Next Generation Learning Network.  Floyd County was Georgia’s first Next Generation Learning Community and they today enjoy a system wide graduation rate of over 80%.

“Throughout its 107 year history, Ford Motor Company has invested in educational opportunities for the next generation,” said Cheryl Carrier, manager of 21st Century Education Programs, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.  “We are proud of our partnership with the State of Georgia and the positive impact our programs have had on tens of thousands of Georgia high school students.

The Ford Next Generation Learning framework creates meaningful learning experiences that enable students to apply academic knowledge to real world learning. .  It advocates that schools  create and maintain career- and interest-based programs and the collaborative culture, structures, and practices necessary to transform teaching and learning.  Additionally, it engages employers, educators, civic and community leaders to collaborate in promoting and sustaining educational programs that prepare the future workforce.  Today’s grants are part of Ford’s Operation Goodwill Atlanta partnership with local Ford and Lincoln dealers created this spring with a $1 million fund to expand local community engagement.

For more information on Ford Next Generation Learning, please visit www.fordpas.org.  To learn more about Georgia’s College and Career Academy Network, you can visit http://www.georgiacareeracademies.org.  Schools interested in applying for the grants can contact Leah Felcher with the Georgia Ford PAS Hub at lfelcher@tcsg.edu.


About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services:
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 27,000 Ford employees and retirees each year work on projects that better their communities in dozens of countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com

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Ford Motor Company's southeast grassroots team manages the communications for the company in Florida and Georgia. Through events like Driving Skills for Life and regional town hall meetings, our team works to connect local dealers to their communities.