Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : $135 Million Granted to Improve Schools

In a bid to help bridge the educational gap between rich and poor students, the National Science Foundation awarded grants to nine cities to help them overhaul their school districts’ science, math and technology programs. The grants, which will total $135 million over five years--about $15 million per city--represent the first large-scale federal effort to restructure urban education by taking on whole school districts. The grants were awarded to Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New York, Phoenix and El Paso. Although Los Angeles was among 11 cities initially deemed qualified to receive the aid, its proposal for using the grant money failed to satisfy the foundation. The city is expected to reapply in July.