Grant Supports Literacy, Arts, and Exercise at PS 45 International School

Buffalo State has received a grant of $174,384 from the Buffalo Public Schools to develop a comprehensive after-school program for students in grades 1–8 at PS 45 International School. The project director is Gina Pannozzo, an educational psychologist with Buffalo State’s Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE).

The program—Literacy, Arts, and Exercise at PS 45 International School—has three main goals: to provide academic support to prepare students for college and career success; to implement enrichment programs that align with school curriculum; and to promote health and wellness through physical activity and recreation.

“This program builds on Buffalo State’s existing programs at PS 45 International School where we coordinate the I Am College Bound program and the Intensive Literacy Tutoring Initiative,” said Pannozzo. As a member of Buffalo State’s Professional Development School consortium, PS 45 has other ties to Buffalo State through the college’s School of Education and the Community Academic Center.

The program is unique because it incorporates a “learning together” framework. Buffalo State education majors receive extensive training while they work with teachers and community-partner experts at PS 45 to provide academic support and enrichment activities to the grades 1–8 students in the program. “Learning about college from tutors who are college students has been a highlight of the feedback we’ve received from K–12 students across all our programs,” said Pannozzo.