Empowering educators to inspire students.

Matthew Crews of Stevenson Elementary (D87) was the recipient of the 2019-2020 Beyond the Box grant for installing sensory paths in all of the elementary schools for the district. The goal is to create a space for students to use these paths either as a whole class (taking turns), or as a break for individual students when deemed necessary by their classroom teacher. This is grant is made possible through support from the Shirk Family Foundation.

Beyond the Books Education Foundation provided a grant that allowed Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan to speak to sixth graders at Bloomington Junior High School.

Annually, the foundation invites educators from both District 87 and Unit 5 to submit requests for grant monies to fund innovative projects. Since 1992, $609,563 has been awarded to support 755 projects requested by educators in the two school districts.

Beyond the Books celebrated 25 years at a special event Saturday, February 25, 2017. From pantagraph.com: Whether it’s a towering climbing wall or the cost of postage to send letters to parents, Twin City classrooms have benefited from grants given by the Beyond the Books Educational Foundation for 25 years ...

Ozobots, Spheros, robots, and more than 160 students in grades K-8— both girls and boys — occupied every corner of Normal Community West High School on December 9, 2016, for the "Girls Who Code" event.