Georgetown ISD was selected as a finalist Jan. 12 in the running for $500,000 out of a total $5 million grant that will help school districts and campuses implement blended learning programs. GISD was one of 10 finalists chosen from among 75 school and district semifinalists. The other finalists are Birdville ISD, Cisco ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Grand Prairie Young Women’s Leadership Academy, KIPP Houston, Pasadena ISD, Point Isabel ISD, Tulia ISD and Ysleta ISD. The blending learning model combines online learning with face-to-face instruction by a teacher, where students also have some control on how and what they learn, according to GISD. The Raising Blended Learners grant initiative is sponsored by Raise Your Hand Texas, an advocacy group for public education in the state. The 10 finalists will each receive two months of blended learning training, and five teams will be announced as winners of the grant in April. Those five teams will receive up to $500,000 of the $5 million grant total, and will receive help with implementing blended learning programs over a three-year period. The remaining amount of the $5 million grant will be used to research and evaluate these programs to benefit other schools and districts, and for technical assistance and implementation support, said Petri Darby, the vice president for marketing with Raise Your Hand Texas. The 75 schools and districts previously selected as semifinalists traveled to San Antonio in September and October for blending learning training workshops. The selection of finalists will also send a team to attend a workshop in February, according to GISD.