Funding, Grants & Awards

Steelcase Grant Program Provides New Classrooms to 13 Schools

• By Michael Hart
• 04/01/16

Thirteen schools, ranging from elementary to college, have been selected to share in more than $800,000 worth of classroom furniture, equipment and technology as part of Steelcase Education's second annual Active Learning Center Grant program.

The 13 schools were selected from more than 800 that applied for the grants, intended to demonstrate that active learning classrooms contribute to higher engagement, better performance and more motivation and creativity.

The schools will receive one of flour classroom configurations, each valued at $62,000:

• Active Learning Classroom 1, featuring Node seating for multi-modal learning;
• Active Learning Classroom 2, with tiered Verb tables designed for conversation and collaboration;
• Active Learning Classroom 3, a blended classroom that supports digital and face-to-face learning; and
• Active Learning Classroom 4, a "makerspace" environment focused on hands-on problem-solving, ideation and experimentation.

Along with the installation and training in how to use the equipment, the company and institution will conduct assessments over the next two years to discover the impact of the newly designed spaces on teaching and learning. All the classrooms will be installed this summer in preparation for the fall 2016 semester.

Grant recipients are:

• Boyce Middle School;
• College of Lake County;
• Furman University;
• LaSalle College, Montréal Campus;
• Lipman Middle School;
• Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, Timber Ridge School;
• Shorecrest Preparatory School;
• St. Edward's University;
• St. Elizabeth High School;
• Tennessee Tech University;
• Turner/Bartels K-8;
• University of Saint Mary; and
• Upper Arlington High School.

"The new classrooms will promote innovative pedagogical solutions and allow educators to leverage the capabilities of an environment built specifically for improved engagement and collaboration," said Steelcase Education Director of Market Development Craig Wilson.