ELLSWORTH — Ellsworth High School (EHS) will spend a portion of a three-year, $1.5-million federal School Improvement Grant to hire teacher coaches and a coordinator of instruction and to visit high-performing schools.

EHS and Mountain View School in Sullivan, which received $337,131, have been struggling to meet test targets set under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The state Department of Education announced last week that EHS and Mountain View were among four Maine schools in three districts that received more than $5 million in federal grants to improve student achievement.

In order to receive funding, EHS had to replace its principal, Bill Connors. He will be assistant principal at Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School.

Although his replacement was not a requirement, Mountain View Principal Bill Dove recently resigned.

No one has yet been hired to replace either principal.

Katrina Kane, assistant superintendent of Regional School Unit 24 (RSU 24), said July 19 the committee that wrote the EHS grant agreed everything hinges on what happens in the classroom.

“We believe the teacher is the critical element in change,” Kane said.

She said the teacher coaches will observe to see that students are engaged, that instruction includes lively class discussion and that students are coaxed to think critically.

Kane said EHS also will hire a coordinator of instruction since it is a larger school.

She said this person will focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment and what is needed to make rapid improvements.

Mountain View’s funds will be used for teacher coaching, literacy and math, Kane said.

Sumner Memorial High School in Sullivan last year received a three-year, $1.7-million grant.

More than half of Sumner’s first year of funding — about $223,000 — was used to hire two teacher coaches and consultants from the Great Maine School Partnership.

For more education news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.