Ms. Simmons and Ms. Macleod will lead an effort to implement assistive technology tools to enhance new student integration and learning.  The team will work to improve their skills in developing creative and engaging ways to foster inclusion and learning for all ... more »

Dr. Getman will lead of team of third and sixth grade educators through a collaborative professional learning community that will enable participants to perfect their instructional strategies. Specifically, groups of educators will attend sessions at Columbia ... more »

Dr. Rooks will examine individuals who have taken “alternative” pathways into the teaching profession.  Specifically, she will analyze sixty in-depth, semi-structured interviews with participants, staff, and critics of Teach for America, the largest ... more »

Mrs. Huset and Mrs. Kuschke will implement an action research project in which students will learn to “read pictures,” discuss authors’ purposes, and analyze the word choices used in texts. Painting techniques will also be taught, as students will create ... more »

Teachers and education support professionals in Alpena Public Schools and surrounding school districts will be trained in the curricular framework presented in Charlotte Danielson’s Enhancing Professional Practice. Staff will be trained in the Danielson rubric and ... more »

Ms. Walker and Mrs. Moy will lead an action research study of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) as a tool to improve the teaching and learning of English language learners at Sargent Shriver Elementary School. The group looks to improve the performance ... more »

Dr. Martens and her colleagues will investigates how global literature— stories with settings outside the US— supports and develops first and second grader students’ intercultural understandings. A study group of seven teachers and two university ... more »

To create a collaborative environment that will improve student achievement, Mrs. Pickrell and her colleagues will establish professional learning communities that share a common vision. The communities will be comprised of collaborative teams focusing on learning and best ... more »

Mrs. Benac will participate in comprehensive training of the Orton-Gillingham methodology, a research based approach to learning that has been proven to benefit students who struggle with reading, spelling, and writing activities. By completing the training, Mrs. Benac will ... more »

Mr. Jones will attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Project 2061 Workshop in Washington, DC. While there, he will study Project 2061's approach to science assessment and its procedures for developing effective items that are carefully ... more »

Mr. Steins will complete the nine unit Gifted and Talented Education (G.A.T.E.) Certification courses at the University of California Irvine Extension so that he can effectively differentiate instruction for his school's gifted learners. Upon completion of the program, Mr. ... more »

Through It’s My Life, Mr. Fraser and colleagues will amass data predicated on studies and research that examine whether high school students are more likely to succeed in school and adult life if they receive daily life skills instruction and are given a “road ... more »

To help provide students and staff at The Integrated Arts Academy with the most current, professional school nursing knowledge and skills in the specialty practice of school nursing, Mrs. Mongeon will attend the National Association of School Nurses' Annual ... more »

To better communicate with an increasing Spanish speaking population at Potomac Senior High, Mr. Williams will travel to Guatemala to participate in The Casa Xelaju’s three week Spanish Immersion Program.  The program will require five hours of daily classroom ... more »

Mr. Borgelt and his colleagues will form a study group to explore how to better prepare students for the academic rigors of Algebra I. The study group will evaluate the effectiveness of the current math curriculum and identify, implement, and evaluate assessments, ... more »

Mr. Wetzel will attend a SMART Certified Training to gain an understanding of the full capabilities of the interactive whiteboards at Licking Heights Central Middle School.  Post training, Mr. Wetzel will train colleagues on effective whiteboard use and will ... more »

Ms. Wright will participate in an Earthwatch Institute expedition, studying Trinidad's leatherback sea turtles.  As a member of the scientific research team she will participate in satellite tracking and collect data about migration patterns and habitat to predict ... more »

Mr. Yonitch will attend a cultural and language program in Peru, where he will live with a host family and attend Spanish language classes.  Upon completion, Mr. Yonitch will return to Washington School and share his knowledge with colleagues and students, sixty-five ... more »

To reduce student risk factors and promote student achievement, Mrs. Kissell will implement the “Teachers Teaching Teachers” project at Anaconda High School.  Mrs. Kissell will lead a collegial study within the math department with the goals of improving ... more »

Mrs. Holtz will participate in four brain based education courses at the University of St. Thomas.  Upon completing the courses, Mrs. Holtz will assist in advancing brain based research and teaching strategies in her school and district.  Additionally, Mrs. Holtz ... more »

Mrs. Mecikalski will attend the International Reading Convention in Orland, Florida.  At the workshop, Mrs. Mecikalski will study ways to improve the reading scores of students at Pinewood Elementary, particularly Hispanic and African American populations.  Upon ... more »

Mr. Givand will investigate the use of technology in several school districts in Minnesota in an attempt to understand its relationship to student achievement.  In addition to examining the best practices of effective technology integration, Mr. Givand will examine ... more »

Four members of the Grand Rapids Public Schools staff will attain certification as behavior analysts, requiring intense training in effective instruction for students with autism.  In obtaining this certification, the colleagues will provide ongoing training and ... more »

Ms. Stewart will travel to Ghana for three weeks to study the musical traditions of the Ewe people.  As a result of her research, Ms. Stewart will revise her music curriculum to include an in depth unit for the upper elementary grades exploring West African music, ... more »

Teachers in the World Languages professional learning community will learn how to create highly interactive lessons using Livescribe Smartpens.  The pens will then be introduced to classrooms, where students will be able to use them to record lectures and word ... more »

Mrs. Dewese will attend the Science Education for Public Understanding (SEPUP) Academy in Silverthorne, Colorado.  While there, she will study literacy strategies that support reading comprehension as well as written, oral, and media literacy; technology tools; ... more »

Norcrest Elementary School educators will implement the International Baccalaureate/Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) in all grade levels and with all students.  The IBPYP aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people.  Educators at Norcrest ... more »

Ms. Montano will attend the Columbia Teachers’ College Summer Workshop to improve her classroom practice so that she can provide her predominantly Latino student population with culturally relevant stories.  Upon returning from the workshop, Ms. Montano’s ... more »

Mrs. Grimble and Ms. Hines will study several books and professional articles on differentiated instruction for middle schools and will apply what they learn to lessons for the upcoming school year.  They will share this information with the language arts department ... more »

Teachers at Vance Elementary will receive training in fundamental conceptual mathematics instruction.  A team of five educators will work together to strengthen the current math program by increasing students’ abilities to reason and solve problems ... more »

Ms. Wendt and Mrs. Collins will foster creative, constructive writing through the use of twenty first century technology tools.  “From Pen and Paper to Mouse and Keyboard” will use innovative web 2.0 technologies, including blogs, wikis, webinars, podcasts, ... more »

Educators within the School District of Osceola will be provided with interactive whiteboards for classroom instruction.  This technology will promote high quality, equitable instruction while improving student achievement in language arts and mathematics.  ... more »

Students at Van Asselt Elementary will increase math proficiency through hands on exercises.  Scales will be used in math classes at all grade levels for measurement practice, with an emphasis on algebra understanding at the intermediate grade levels.  Students ... more »

Students at Yale Elementary and community volunteers create and maintain an outdoor organic learning center.  The center will allow students to view and interact with numerous living systems.  The hub of the learning center will be a greenhouse, which will promote ... more »

Mr. Rigby and Mrs. Cox will improve students’ mastery of technology by introducing Smart Boards and clickers in the classroom.  Students will work in groups to compile materials for use in multimedia classroom presentations.  Additionally, the less ... more »

Mrs. Tejada and Mrs. Root will lead students in the expansion of a school garden.  By planning and cultivating the garden, student will observe the life cycle of plants and will understand the origins of the vegetables they eat.  Additionally, rain barrels will be ... more »

Mrs. Geffers and Ms. Huffman will offer students an understanding of environmental science careers and public policy by encouraging them to consider the issues and debates surrounding energy and the environment through the lens of local, state, and global economies.  ... more »

To bridge the gap between special and general education students, Mrs. Keene and Mrs. Herrmann will introduce iPads in their classrooms as a way to enhance lessons through the use of technology.  The project will enable Mrs. Keene and Mrs. Herrmann to create innovative ... more »

Through “Virtual Book Buddies,” eighth grade students at Springfield Middle School will create digital storybooks.  Students will record themselves reading the books aloud and the recordings will be used as learning tools to assist kindergarten ... more »

To address the necessity of technological literacy in successful twenty first century learners, Ms. Snyder and Ms. Stoll will provide students with interactive multimedia technology via iPads and laptops.  The devices will be used to support academic needs, provide ... more »

In a collaboration of language arts and social studies classes, Draughn High students will conduct oral history projects based on student interests and class assignments.  These projects will require students to identify subjects, create questions, conduct interviews, ... more »

Mrs. Green and Mrs. Rutherford will expose students to nineteenth century culture through a visit to the historic Biltmore Estate and Grounds.  Through hands on interactive lessons, students will discover the rich history that exists within the walls of the estate and ... more »

Through “Water Quality, Water Quality, What’s Your Location?,” students will use technology, the school campus, and the community to develop real world understanding of the importance of water.  The project will integrate language arts, science, math, ... more »

To address a growing student population in need of additional reading support, faculty at Skoi Yase Primary School will create a leveled library.  The use of leveled books will enable Mrs. Ackerman and Ms. Cotter to provide differentiated guided reading instruction and ... more »

Mrs. Macht and Mr. Sgro will introduce “Youth Engaged in Service through the Arts (YES A+),” a unit that will use the core principles of service learning to bring youth voice and choice into the school day.  The project will guide students in the ... more »

Mr. Kukan and Mrs. Markby will implement the “Global Perspective Project,” which will provide students with a hands on approach to social studies learning.  Students will focus on the “where” and “why” of the world and on the people ... more »

Through the “Cleaner Energy Project,” Mr. Andres and Mrs. Young will work collaboratively to engage students in proper research skills and inquiry based science labs focused on the topic of renewable energy.  After completing preliminary labs and research, ... more »

Through “The World of Engineering,” DeKalb Elementary students will be exposed to a comprehensive instructional unit on engineering fields.  Students will then use engineering concepts to design and build robots to compete in the school wide “Robocup ... more »

To help students develop advanced writing, research, critical thinking, and presentation skills, Mrs. Collier and Mrs. Almond will engage students in a production that incorporates rap, singing, and dramatic presentations based on their social studies and language arts ... more »

Mrs. Carter and Mr. Berrios will introduce their third grade students to an integrated curriculum focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  In this construction challenge, students will design and test scale roller coasters and study the ... more »