Through Bringing Everyone Together with Technology, Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Johnson will emphasize language acquisition and increased cultural awareness in their students. Educators will infuse 21st century skills throughout the curriculum by incorporating relevance and ... more »

To reduce student risk factors and promote student achievement, Mrs. Prahl and Ms. Haygood will implement a parent involvement project to train parents in specific reading and math strategies. Parents will participate in learning workshops taught by primary level ... 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 »

To address the need for student improvement in science, language arts, and mathematics, a team of educators at Forest City Regional Elementary School will enhance their students’ 21st century learning environment by incorporating tablets into every classroom. This ... more »

Mrs. Macrory and Mrs. Wolf will create the Cheyenne Outdoor Exploratorium. This learning station will provide an environment where students will conduct experiments and complete research and field studies. The station will be composed of gardens, a greenhouse, alluvial ... 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 »

Ms. Fish and Mrs. Mahone will promote 21st century data collection and learning in early childhood classrooms at Brentwood Elementary. The team will utilize electronic portfolios and real time photographic and video recordings of student learning to promote both data ... more »

Dr. Rozalski and Mr. Miller will work with a team of educators to collect, review, and teach literature that will develop students’ social skills. The team will develop, present, and evaluate bibliotherapy lessons in an alternative education setting. The team will ... 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 »

Mrs. Conrad will implement a leveled literacy intervention, which is a research-based, systematic reading program that will enhance Wahoo Public Schools' Title 1 program to accelerate reading proficiency. The intervention, which will be introduced in the elementary ... more »

Ms. Johnson and Mr. Radermacher will assist special needs students in becoming involved in their Individualized Education Plans. Students in the program will learn to identify and describe their personal disabilities through self evaluation and be able to identify their ... 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 »

Students will enhance their understanding of math and social science concepts by designing and fabricating ceramic tile quilts. The quilt murals will illustrate local social, cultural, and natural history, and will also link local events to social and cultural histories ... more »

Ms. Corbett and Mrs. Rizzuto will lead an inquiry-based learning unit designed to encourage the development of students’ critical thinking skills and science content knowledge. Students will use these materials in conjunction with science notebooks to construct ... more »

Creating Original Opera (COO) participants from two schools will work collaboratively throughout the school year to create, produce, and perform original dramatic operatic works. Using Skype cameras, web based portfolios, Promethean Board technology, artist visits, and ... more »

Through iLove Math Again, Mrs. Pernice and Mrs. Habermehl will introduce math centers in their classrooms that incorporate technology through the use of iPads. Educators will focus on students’ levels of engagement and interest to improve student achievement. ... more »

Mrs. Mauntel and Mrs. Terwiske will teach their students to use algebraic equations to program robots. Students will learn basic programming language via calculations on TI calculators and will use that language to have their robots perform a variety of tasks. As ... 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 »

Students at Kualapuu School will learn about exploring for survival, discovery, and adventure through a lesson on the history of the ancient Polynesian voyaging that brought the first humans to the Hawaiian Islands. Students will document the process of building scale ... 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 the STAR program, educators will meet the needs of accelerated and gifted students. STAR will offer students assistance with developing higher level thinking skills, accelerated pacing in math and foreign languages, and the exploration and understanding of ... more »

Special education teachers in the Adams 14 school district will utilize a research-based math program to address math achievement gaps for at-risk elementary students with identified disabilities. They will be trained in coaching to utilize the core K-5 program and ... 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 »

Turning the Key to Literacy will increase reading and writing proficiency by integrating technology into the classroom. Ms. Farrens and a team of colleagues will use response clickers to monitor and evaluate student responses to multiple choice questions. To increase ... 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 »

Ms. Wescott and Ms. Goodwin will introduce Project Math-I-Khan, a three-component, math intervention. The program will incorporate mathematical differentiated learning to increase student skills and understanding. Students will create math videos to be disseminated ... more »

Mrs. Halstead will attend Columbia University's Teacher College Summer Writing Institute to learn best strategies for implementation, including crucial structures and routines that allow teachers to meet the differentiated needs of all student writers. Mrs. Halstead ... 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 »

Dr. Acuff will work with educators at a middle school in Columbus, Ohio in a participatory action research project. The cohorts will assess and revise their school curriculum based on reflections from the 2011-2012 academic year. Data obtained from the research will ... 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 »

Through Techie Teachers, Mrs. Tardif will undergo Smart Notebook Certification Training. The training will provide Mrs. Tardif with the skills necessary to fully utilize her school’s technology equipment as educational tools. Upon completing the training, Mrs. ... 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 »

Mr. Fowler will attend the New and Aspiring School Leaders program at Harvard University. Through the program, Mr. Fowler will gain new tools, frameworks, leadership techniques, instructional practice techniques, and ideas to more effectively build and sustain learning ... more »

Ms. Lyons will attend the Reading and Writing Project at the Columbia University Teachers College. Through the program, Ms. Lyons will deepen her understanding of the implementation of effective reading workshops and the integration of the Common Core Curriculum. The ... more »

Mr. Applegate will read, "The Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies and Activities for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities," and attend the Learning Disabilities Association of America's annual conference in Chicago. Using the ... more »

Mr. Cahn will take part in a year-long learning experience through the Mindful Education Institute. Through the study, Mr. Cahn will create student centered social and emotional learning curriculum and staff development strategies grounded in research-based ... more »

Ms. Swanson will embark on a six-week stay in Guatemala through Casa Xelaju’s Spanish Immersion Program. Through the program, Ms. Swanson will further her knowledge of Latin American culture and languages via experiences in schools, site visits, and a home stay ... more »

To provide quality writing instruction for students at Greenville Middle School, Ms. Hedrick will attend a one-week internship at the Center for Teaching and Learning during which she will observe, discuss, and reflect on the teaching practices used by educators ... more »

Ms. Cushard will attend the What’s Different about Teaching Reading to English Language Learners institute at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC. Upon completion of the training Ms. Cushard will lead a study group that will equip colleagues with ... more »

Using curriculum from the Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry, Mrs. Hansen-Barber and Mrs. Joslyn will facilitate ten professional study workshops for educators in the Wallace and Kellogg School Districts. The first five workshops will introduce teachers to the benefits ... more »

Ms. Kareem will travel to a diverse, high performing school in Toronto, Ontario. While there, Ms. Kareem will investigate professional learning communities and parental involvement initiatives aimed at increasing student achievement. The strategies and knowledge gained ... more »

Dr. Geier and Mrs. Davis will implement professional development for K-12 administrators at the county school district level. The learning will aim to improve STEM concept knowledge for administrators as they evaluate educators teaching these concepts. The ... more »

Dr. Alexandru will conduct multiple sessions with foreign language teachers within her school district. The sessions will focus on curriculum development that will incorporate efficient interpretive reading strategies in daily instruction that will be reflected in all ... more »

Mr. Crosby will attend a workshop that will focus on the development of individualized instruction across all levels of student need using the Common Core Standards. Mr. Crosby will also attend various professional development strands that cover specific educational ... more »

To improve her Spanish speaking skills to better communicate with Spanish speaking students and their parents, Ms. Lancaster will spend four weeks in intensive language classes in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Through small group classes, individual tutoring sessions, and ... more »