Ms. Walker will study at Mexico’s El Eden Biological Preserve, where she will gain field research skills and gather baseline data on the biodiversity of the area. Work will be conducted with a team of teacher researchers to learn field method protocols and tools ... more »

Dr. Van Evera will lead a collegial reading group focused on building a sense of community among staff members and understanding how data analysis techniques can be used to guide continuous school improvement. Group readings will focus on school environment as an ... more »

Mrs. Maholchic will attend the AP Annual Conference, where she will present the seminar “Teaching Timed Writing: A Gradual Release Model.”  During the session, she will share strategies that she has developed in her classroom to improve student writing ... more »

To prepare students for the competitive 21st century economy, Ms. Vine will attend the National Science Teachers Association STEM Forum and Expo, at which she will present a hands-on workshop about successful informal initiatives and community programs. The conference ... more »

To improve communications with students and parents from the growing Somali community in Minneapolis, Ms. Bouche and Ms. Koskela will study the Somali language. Through the language study, Ms. Bouche and Ms. Koskela will better bridge the current language gap ... more »

A team of mathematics educators will conduct lesson study to develop instructional practices across middle and high school grades that support students' engagement in a Mathematical Practice Standard from the Common Core State Standards. The cohort will collaborate to ... more »

To aid students who have failed state reading tests, Mrs. Brazell-Smith will attend a dyslexia screening seminar. After completing the seminar, Mrs. Brazell-Smith will equip educators at Lake Weir High School with effective strategies to identify dyslexic students, ... more »

To provide hospitalized students with engaging and imaginative curriculums, Ms. Ho will attend the Oxbridge Academic Teacher's Seminar on Literature and the Fantastic. The seminar will focus on classic fantasy novels and the influence of Oxford on their authors.  ... more »

To understand the importance of Seattle’s International District in the displacement of Japanese Americans during World War II, Mrs. Woodward and Mr. Lovre will lead a school wide common book project. Garfield High School students and faculty will read the novel ... more »

Using tablets equipped with reading, writing, and behavior documentation applications, W. Charles Akins High School Social Behavioral Skills (SSBS) students will improve their reading and writing achievement, behavioral choices, and social skills in academic settings. ... more »

Siegel High School agriculture students will gain experience in water conservation techniques by designing and planting a riparian buffer along a local creek. Students will assess the need for reducing runoff and increasing infiltration for a limestone dominated ... more »

Mr. McKenry will implement an “Adopt-a-Stream” classroom project in order to improve student achievement in genetic and ecology lessons and foster a conservation ethic in students. Students will take care of and monitor a local stream in order to determine ... more »

To assist students in fully developing the cultural literacy necessary to excel in AP English, Mr. Koons will introduce Kindle Fires in the classroom. The tablets will provide students with dictionary search functions that will enable them to annotate unfamiliar ... more »

Mr. Steinbower will attend the National Council for Teachers of English Assembly on Literature for Adolescents Conference to learn methods in which to incorporate popular young adult literature into classroom lessons. Upon completing the conference, Mr. Steinbower and ... more »

To learn about the benefits of community service and personal health, Ms. Gottlieb and Mr. Audiino will lead a group of students in becoming certified personal fitness trainers. Participating students will visit other schools and design lessons to teach fellow students ... more »

“Community Wellness through Digital Art” will expand Lebanon High School’s art offerings to include the use of digital tools. Ms. Clary and her colleagues will expand students’ technology resources and provide a diverse group of student artists a ... more »

To increase student understanding of math and science, Ms. Fanelli and Mr. Wachtel will work with students to collect data in laboratory experiments, analyze the data, describe mathematical phenomena, and design experiments to explore self directed, open ... more »

To encourage students to become technology leaders, educators at Russell Area Technology Center will implement the “SMART Classroom Suite.” Through the use of SMART boards, students will work collaboratively on educational games and discussion questions. ... more »

Mrs. Liberio and Mrs. Hoekstra will introduce touch screen technology to encourage increased academic participation and communication by special needs students diagnosed with autism, Asperger’s, nonverbal learning disorders, and learning difficulties. Students will ... more »

To improve student reading and writing proficiency, educators at Bartlett High School and its feeder elementary and middle schools will implement the “Step Up to Writing” program as a school wide initiative. The cohesive writing program will provide students ... more »

Mrs. Carpenter and Mr. Siner will implement the Salon approach to teaching English language learners, in which educators will teach critical theory to students to guide student discussion about text. Educators will teach in a way that utilizes an informal approach to ... more »

Mr. Kurtz-Nicholl and Mrs. Yurkovich will lead the implementation of iClickers in social studies classrooms at AC Reynolds High School. Educators will build learning communities that focus on common assessments, essential questions, and ways to compare classes. ... more »

Chemistry, earth science, and biology teachers at Saranac Lake High School will facilitate classroom learning by using collaborative teaching techniques. Students, teachers, and teaching assistants will form a learning atmosphere to promote the gain of content knowledge ... more »

To promote global thinking and strengthen students’ reading and writing skills, Mrs. Heideman and Ms. Middendorf will instruct their students to read narrative, nonfiction text based on young adults from a variety of geographic areas. Students will build and ... more »

To encourage students to meet Michigan Merit Curriculum standards in visual, performing, and applied arts, Ms. Pontius and Mr. Budnick will outfit a lab for industrial arts students at Posen Consolidated Schools. The educators will assist students in choosing personal ... more »

Ms. Flowers will lead a collaborative project between three high school teachers and the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute (INDI) at Indiana University--Purdue University Indianapolis. The proposed nanotechnology experience will include lectures, ... more »

To encourage student learning through the use of technology, Ms. Barreira and Ms. Gasque will introduce e-readers to their classrooms. The devices will be used at all learning levels, with particular focus on reluctant readers. The lead educators will study the impact ... more »

Through Imagine Mars, Mrs. Lake and Mr. Bond will implement a design-based learning project to encourage students to actively participate in problem solving through the backward thinking design process. The project will integrate standards-based lessons in multiple ... more »

Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Montoya will introduce new lab learning opportunities to chemistry students at Ontario High School. Through rigorous laboratory activities, students will increase their understanding of core concepts through hands-on instruction. Students will be ... more »

Educators from Virginia and Illinois will collaborate to explore the educational uses of the Tumblr microblogging platform. Ms. Ludwig and Ms. Richardson will use the platform to create overviews, reviews, and document based questions. Additionally, educators will ... more »

To effectively meet the needs of learners with diverse abilities and backgrounds, Mr. Jones will attend the Universal Design for Learning: Reaching All Learners institute at Harvard University. The program will prepare Mr. Jones to implement Universal Design for ... more »

Ms. Hoover will travel to Belize to explore terrestrial, coastal, and coral reef communities. While there, she will join researchers to learn about conservation programs involving species including harpy eagles, jaguars, manatees, and howler monkeys. Additionally, Ms. ... more »

To improve the quality of education for ESL and Hispanic heritage students, Ms. Rasely-Philipps and her colleagues will develop an academic group at school that will foster personal and cultural connections as well as academic and career choices. The group will study ... more »

To improve technological proficiency among educators within the Southeast Local School District, Mr. Farmakidis will share with colleagues a series of teaching models which focus on integrating technological applications into teacher pedagogies. Throughout the course of ... more »