Sunday, September 27, 2009

Teacher Grants for Professional Development

Grants for Teacher Professional Development

Many teachers have great ideas for innovative classroom projects but lack the funding needed to make those ideas reality. Grants may be available to implement those innovations. But, funds are needed by teachers for purposes other than the implementation of projects. Teachers often are denied the professional development support they need because they don’t have the money to pay for such efforts.

Don’t forget teacher grants exist to fund the professional development goals of educators. For example, the NEA Foundation offers Learning and Leadership grants offer financial assistance to public school teachers or support professionals, as well as faculty/staff in public institutions of higher education regarding their participation in high-quality professional development experiences such as summer institutes or action research. See http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/grant-application/learning-and-leadership/.

Local foundations, governmental entities, or non-profits may also be able to assist teachers who are looking for needed funding for their professional development. An example of such grant giving would be the Gaddy Educator Scholarship for teachers of a particular high school in Forsyth County, NC, and administered by the Winston-Salem Foundation. See http://www.wsfoundation.org/grant-seekers/types-of-grants/teacher-grants/#c488.

Do you have a professional development event or course of instruction that you would like to participate in but don’t have the funds? Try seeking a grant to cover all or part of your costs!

Remember Granted! A Teacher’s Guide to Writing and Winning Classroom Grants is available to assist you in the grant writing process. Go to www.CafeGranted.com and order your copy today!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Interviews

I was recently interviewed by two people regarding Granted! It was an honor to get to know both of them.

One is John A. Strachan, copy desk chief, for the New York Teacher. He is very committed to telling teachers about the many opportunities to support learning in the classroom that can be funded through grant awards. The other person is author and reviewer Geri Ahearn. Her review and interview may be found at:
www.authorgeriahearnsbookreviews.blogspot.com and
www.authorgeriahearnsinterviews.blogspot.com .

It is exciting to know more people are going to learn about Granted! through such interviews. I hope that all of this will result in more teachers and volunteers seeking grants to fund those projects they thought they could only imagine being implemented.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Why I Wrote Granted!

As a school volunteer, I saw first-hand how hard teachers and school volunteers worked to raise funds for classroom supplies and projects. I wanted to help but in a way that utilized my background in law and higher education. I spoke to the principal at my son's school, and she suggested grant writing might be a good fit for my volunteer efforts.

After a few successes, teachers and parents began to tell me they, too, would love to write grants to fund needed classroom projects but didn't know how to begin. After lots of conversations about grant writing, I began to develop a method that could be used to tackle the work of grant writing for the classroom. I later had an opportunity to meet the writer Lynda Exley and her young son, Michael Moorehead, who is also an author. After a chat about children's books and teacher grants, Lynda told me that her publisher, Five Star Publications, Inc., was looking to publish a book on teacher grants. That lead to a meeting with Linda Radke, the head of Five Star, and soon I was beginning to write what was to become Granted! A Teacher's Guide to Writing and Winning Classroom Grants.

Granted! is filled with examples and forms that I hope will become a road map to your grant writing journey. It may be purchased through various websites and bookstores as well as online at www.CafeGranted.com.

I am continuing to write grants for teachers and hope to share my own grant writing journeys with you on this blog.

I hope to see you on the way!!!

Teacher Grant Opportunity

NOTE FROM CHRIS TAYLOR:

Please go to www.CafeGranted.com and check out this great grant opportunity from my publisher Five Star Publications, Inc. regarding publishing a book of your students' works.

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In support of Granted! and its theme of helping educators fund classroom projects, Five Star Publications, Inc. invites teachers and librarians in public, private, and charter schools, kindergarten through 12th grades, to apply for the opportunity to be “Granted!” the award of a Copper Publishing Plan from Five Star Express Press, valued at $995., with which their students will publish a book of their own work.

Details of the plan may be found at www.FiveStarExpressPress.com. Granted! may be ordered throughwww.CafeGranted.com.

Applications are to be submitted to Five Star Publication, Inc. via email at info@fivestarpublications.com or regular mail at Five Star Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 6698, Chandler, AZ 85246. Email inquires or call P:480-940-8182; Toll-Free 1-866-471-0777.

The application is due in the Five Star Publications, Inc. office no later than 4:30 p.m., October 16, 2009 .

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Five Star Publications, Inc. and www. CafeGranted.com
“KIDS CAN PUBLISH” GRANT

Date: _________________ Applicant: _______________________________
Position: _________________ School Principal: ________________________
Name of School:_________________________________________________
Type of Institution: Public ____ Private, Nonprofit _____ Charter _____
School Address: ________________________________________________
School Phone Number: ____________ Email:__________________________
School/Teacher Website Address: __________________________________
School/District Federal Tax ID Number: ________ Project dates: __________
Proposed Student Publication Title: __________________________________
Participant Grades/Ages: _________ Number of Students Impacted: _______

Subject Area/Emphasis of Publication:



Applicant’s Signature/ Date

Principal’s Signature/ Date

KIDS CAN PUBLISH Grant Content
(Up to three additional pages may be attached and submitted as needed.)

1. Describe your project in detail. Remember all materials to be published must be entirely written and designed by your students. Include the educational/enrichment objective(s) and the need for this project.

2. How does this project align with curriculum guidelines and standards?

3. How will you evaluate your project’s success in achieving its objective(s)?

4. Describe the sequence of activities and associated time frames.

Note: The teacher or librarian who is awarded this grant will be contacted by Five Star Publications, Inc. regarding its Final Report to be submitted after the completion of the project and which will detail the project and its implementation pursuant to, but not limited to, the proposed evaluation methodology.

www.fivestarpublications.com