District gets grant

Parents can check their child's work online.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Learning is going to take on a new dimension at Thaddeus Stevens Primary Center.
George Gabriel, the new schools superintendent, announced that the district received a $300,000, three-year Comprehensive School Reform grant for the school.
The federal and state money will be used to institute a new computer-based learning program for pupils in grades one through three, he said.
The pupils will work at their own pace at computer terminals on learning programs that are aligned with state testing standards, he said.
The computer program allows them to work at their own pace and see immediate results from their work, he said.
Parents will be able to access the child's work through a home computer by using a special password.
"They will be able to see what progress the child made and tutor them at home on additional strategies," Gabriel said.
Computers will be placed in area community centers for parents who do not have home computers, he added.
Gabriel said they should start the program in about a week.