Image by Flickr user Brit.

Two researchers at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, David W. Grissmer and Andrew J. Mashburn, have been awarded with a $2.8 million grant for the purpose of evaluating the WINGS for Kids program right here in the Holy City.

If you're not familiar with WINGS for Kids, know that it's an afterschool learning program that currently takes place at four local elementary schools. Participating children experience heightened levels of economic and social risks; WINGS for Kids strives to teach these students how to build healthy relationships and make sound decisions. The program began in 1996 and has thrived ever since.

This particular study will examine children starting kindergarten in the fall of 2012, following them for three years. Students starting kindergarten in the fall of 2013 and the fall of 2014 will also participate; in all, over 300 children will be looked at throughout this evaluation.

And this isn't the first study to look into WINGS' effectiveness. One study showed that children who were enrolled in WINGS for two or mor years passed state standardized tests at much highers rates than students that did not participate in WINGS.

Get more info about WINGS for Kids' goals and the U.Va. grant at UVA Today's in-depth report here.