Our Mission
The Mission of the Norwalk Education Foundation is to work closely with Norwalk Public Schools to provide programs and services to children in Norwalk so they can achieve academic success and grow socially and emotionally.
Teacher Resources and Innovation
NEF offers teacher mini-grants to develop and implement instructional projects that motivate and challenge students to learn. Proposals must support unique classroom projects that enliven and enrich the curriculum.
Community Collaboration
The College Essay Mentor program began in 2015. Teachers, administrators, and community volunteers were trained by a college essay consultant to coach high school seniors. After the first year, an admissions officer from UCONN contacted Norwalk High School to say she had never read such great essays from Norwalk.
NEF partners with community organizations to host community outreach workshops. This fall, we are hosting a College Admission Workshop and a Stress Management panel for teens and parents.
Enhance Student Learning
The Shark Tank competition requires students to “sell” a proposal to enhance their school. In the past, ideas have addressed academics, extracurricular activities, social-emotional well-being, physical health/nutrition, and safety. We awarded several thousand dollars to support 30 student proposals in the past 2 years.
Student Social and Emotional Health
NEF’s newest initiative addresses the high levels of stress that research has identified as a major difficulty for adolescents. In 2015, we piloted a program to teach kids stress-reduction techniques like meditation. Based on the positive data collected through this pilot program, NEF plans to offer such workshops to all middle and high school students in the fall. NEF also partners with Norwalk ACTS, working with the Health and Wellness workgroup to bring mindful meditation to the high school students.