The Hillel Yeshiva Elementary School in Ocean has been selected for a prestigious grant designed to enhance its secular instruction.

The Gruss Foundation Educational Endowment grant — about $200,000, according to school administrators — will be in effect when students return to the yeshiva's elementary school Sept. 4.

The grant will underwrite initiatives for early literacy in language and math for kindergarten students, a computer lab for language arts and math literacy for students in grades one-five, and after-school math and science enrichment workshops for students in grades six-eight.

"The theory of the Gruss program is that a child can be structured for success if the proper support systems are in place," said Dr. Ruth Katz, the yeshiva's head of school for kindergarten through eighth grade. "This program is designed to create and encourage independent learners and independent thinkers."

The New York-based Gruss Foundation provides program funding for yeshivas and Jewish day schools in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. In 2001-02, it launched an initiative to "improve secular education" for elementary school students in yeshivas and Jewish day schools, according to its Web site.

The programs for students in Hillel Yeshiva's elementary grades are part of innovations in the 2007-08 general studies curriculum and are specifically designed for different grade levels, Katz said.

Kindergarten teachers will use the Waterford early reading, math, and science curriculum, which is individually paced to help students develop knowledge in those three specific areas, Katz said. Four 15-minute sessions that include student use of laptop computers will take place on a weekly basis.

"In adapting to the needs of each individual student, the early reading program and the early math and science link and align different aspects of the learning cycle for maximum student success," said Katz.

Students in grades one-five will have the use of 26 state-of-the-art desktop computers in an onsite computer lab. Like its counterpart, this component will determine the students' levels of achievement and enable them to accelerate based on these individual levels, according to Katz.

Students in grade six-eight will be part of the Mitchell Excellence 2000 (E2K) program, an after-school, extracurricular enrichment program in science and mathematical thinking.

"The E2K program is designed for middle-school students with strong potential and high motivation," Katz said. "There is a special emphasis on those students who are not being sufficiently challenged in those areas. As a result, student interest will be increased and motivation will be stimulated in existing math and science programs, and there will be an emphasis on logical mathematical thinking and experimental scientific thinking."

E2K teachers and students will also use an interactive whiteboard with a large screen that allows exploration of Web sites and offers virtual field trips and science and math presentations.

E2K also includes a professional development component in teaching methodology for teachers, Katz said.

The grant's total funding is about $200,000, Katz said. The amount includes the costs of administrative and faculty training and programmatic materials — the laptop computers, the fully equipped computer lab, hardware and software programs, and other assorted study aids like posters and CDs.

The Gruss grant requires a three-year commitment on the part of the yeshiva, after which the school will apply for a grant renewal, Katz said.

Last spring, Katz visited a Passaic County yeshiva that was a previous Gruss grant recipient. She observed enthusiastic teachers and equally enthusiastic students.

"I saw instructors and students who were completely engaged in this program," said Katz. "Hillel Yeshiva already has a reputation for educational enthusiasm on the part of our faculty and students. After seeing the Gruss program in operation, it was clear that it would take us to an even higher level of involvement."

The Gruss programs will probably raise students' math and language scores on standardized tests, Katz said. These scores are already above average, she added.

"But what's equally important is that each child will be able to boost their sense of self-esteem, which will better equip them for the challenges of higher school grades and for the experiences of life," said Katz. "I believe in rigor and relevance within the educational forum, but if the material is not relevant to a child's life experience, then all the rigor in the world is not going to help them."