Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Microsoft Donates $1M To Local Education Effort

A Los Angeles area school is the beneficiary of what software giant Microsoft says is its single largest technology donation, ever, to a school. Microsoft said Wednesday that it is donating more than $1 million in a grant to purchase new software and hardware, to the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center. Microsoft said the grant is going to the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, to create a model for the Los Angeles Unified School District to elevate teacher and student technology skills. The deal was announced by Microsoft and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a press conference at the learning center. Microsoft said it hopes the effort will create an instructional model that can be "replicated and scaled" throughout the LAUSD. The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, which includes two high schools, is located in Boyle Heights. The software includes Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Math and Microsoft Publisher for 420 computers on campus, new laptops for teachers, Mimeo equipment packages, and other technology.

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