Gates Foundation awards $3.77 million grant to Dallas schools

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $3.77 million grant to help pay for a mega-database that provides Dallas school educators instant access to student information from preschool to graduation. The Dallas Independent School District began testing the database last year. It enables educators to access "real time" student academic information and helps them watch for learning patterns. The system also holds other district-related data, such as student and teacher absences. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation got the data system off the ground last year with a $5 million donation to the Dallas Education Foundation. The Gates grant will be distributed over three years to help the Dallas district expand the existing system.