California

Mr. Francisco Jimenez, Los Angeles
4th Grade Teacher, Ascot Avenue Elementary School
Grant Amount: $2,000

To learn how to implement the processes and routines of an effective daily classroom reading workshop, Mr. Jimenez will attend a week-long reading conference at Columbia University.  Mr. Jimenez will learn strategies that enhance student reading skills and the mechanics involved in establishing meaningful independent and partner reading.

Ms. Jessika Negrete Agustin, Sacramento
1st Grade Teacher, Elk Grove Unified School District
Partner: Ms. Mikako Fisher
Grant Amount: $5,000

To increase the proficiency of English Language Learners, a team of educators will identify schools in Northern California that have been successful in assisting ELL students read at grade level.  Ms. Agustin and her team will target the most effective teaching practices and implement them district-wide within the Elk Grove Unified School District.

Ms. Anna Moraga, Ventura
3rd to 5th Grade Teacher, Will Rogers Elementary School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Ms. Moraga will attend the five-day Summer Writing Institute at Columbia University's Teachers College Reading and Writing Project to gain teaching tools to improve student achievement in writing.  Upon completion of the institute, Ms. Moraga will share what she has learned with her colleagues and provide support for third through fifth grade teachers at her school, where writers’ workshops will be implemented.

Georgia

Dr. Eric Laughlin, Americus
Assistant Professor of Music, Georgia Southwestern State University
Grant Amount: $2,000

Dr. Laughlin will attend a Gordon Institute for Music Learning workshop.  Lessons at the workshop will focus on training teachers to recognize the importance of early childhood music and learn how young children might best be taught music through improvisation.  Upon completing the workshop, Dr. Laughlin will offer workshops for teachers statewide, enabling them to incorporate Music Learning Theory and approaches to improvisation into their curricula.

Illinois

Mr. Timothy Brinker, Glen Ellyn
5th Grade Teacher, Westfield School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Mr. Brinker will attend the field school at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in southwestern Colorado, where he will learn about proper methods of excavation as well as local artifacts and locations.  Upon completion of the workshop, Mr. Brinker will develop a website containing a series of presentations that will give colleagues and students a tutorial on paleontologists.

Indiana

Mrs. Kathleen Miller, West Terre Haute
10th to 12th Grade Technology Teacher, West Vigo High School
Partner: Mrs. Cherish Easton
Grant Amount: $5,000

A team of veteran and beginning teachers will work together to create a virtual library, which will be accessible on campus and on the school’s website.  This system-wide database will be comprised of local historical collections and accomplishments of alumni celebrating West Vigo High School’s fifty-year celebration.  Incorporating a variety of media, the system will establish a focal point for the school and community.

Massachusetts

Ms. Mary Sullivan, Brockton
Professor of Mathematics, Massasoit Community College
Partner:  Ms. Jane DeVoe
Grant Amount: $5,000

To help at-risk students better prepare for college, a learning community of high school math teachers will gain expertise in online learning and teaching technologies.  Under the guidance of Professor Sullivan, the group will learn how to develop and implement rigorous online courses for high school students.  Teachers will pilot an online, dual enrollment math course in partnership with the college.  The group will work together and share experiences in an online forum following a two-day, hands-on workshop at the community college.

Maine

Dr. Steven Selva, Fort Kent
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Maine at Fort Kent
Grant Amount: $2,000

Dr. Selva will travel to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to study the declining population of calicioid lichens and fungi.  The data gathered will be incorporated into a manuscript that he will submit to the journal of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society.  Findings will also be shared with Dr. Selva’s immediate colleagues and students.

Michigan

Mrs. Alana Kooi, Jenison
8th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Jenison Public Schools
Partner: Mrs. Debra Van Duinen
Grant Amount: $5,000

In order to make the writing workshop approach more effective in the teaching of expository writing, Mrs. Kooi and her colleagues plan to examine student writing for specific skills needed to write strong persuasive essays.  The group will examine student essay samples from fifth grade through twelfth grade for specific skills in six trait categories.  These traits will be arranged in a continuum of skills required for effective persuasive essays that can then be used to develop specific workshop mini-lessons designed to motivate students to raise the quality of their persuasive essays. 

Ms. Carolynn Teufner, Troy
1st Grade Teacher, McIntyre Elementary School
Partner: Ms. Gail McFarlane
Grant Amount: $5,000

McIntyre Elementary School will provide its faculty with an intensive, onsite, three-day certification in Dr. Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, followed by ongoing support.  The training will equip faculty members to teach "The Leader in Me," a leadership program for young people that has been shown to improve student achievement at schools around the U.S.  Educators will work towards the goal of improving student self-confidence, behavior, academic performance, and test scores.

Missouri

Mrs. Suzanne Rosenthal, Maplewood
Kindergarten to 1st Grade Reading Specialist, Maplewood Richmond Heights School District
Partner: Ms. Lynn Hedrick
Grant Amount: $5,000

A team of educators at Maplewood Richmond Heights will participate in “The Teacher Home Visit Program (THVP),” a curriculum that trains educators in low income underperforming schools to go to their students' homes to forge relationships with students’ families.  The goals of this work are to increase student academic achievement, attendance, homework completion, and parental involvement, and to decrease behavior problems.

New Hampshire

Mrs. Cara McNevich, Center Ossipee
5th to 6th Grade Teacher, Ossipee Central School
Partner: Mrs. Elaine Giles
Grant Amount: $5,000

Educators at Ossipee Central School will be trained in the use of appropriate technology and resources in the collection and analysis of data in order to ask and answer questions about student performance.  The study group will use data in support of a state mandate that calls for educators to use the state’s Performance and Pathways system to track student progress.

New Jersey

Mr. Brian Vernachio, Toms River
9th to 12th Grade Science Teacher, Toms River High School North
Partner: Mrs. Cherri Worth
Grant Amount: $5,000

With the “Teaching Inquiry through Environmental Investigations” model, middle and high school educators at Toms River Schools will learn to integrate inquiry-based learning into their classrooms more effectively using environmental issues.  The study will occur during a five-day summer institute which will consist of real-life experiences in the field, interactions with regional natural resource experts, and focused facilitation.  Follow-up meetings will occur during the year in which group members will conduct peer observation and model their findings for use throughout the district.

Mrs. Wendy Stocker, Paulsboro
7th to 8th Grade Music and Technology Teacher, Paulsboro High School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Mrs. Stocker will attend Band Director Academy at New York City’s Lincoln Center.  The course emphasizes hands-on learning and techniques that can be immediately applied in the classroom.  Using the blues as the entry to improvisation, this curriculum will focus on the transcription process, listening sessions, and choosing repertoires for various levels of players.

Ms. Joan Stetser, Barrington
Gifted and Talented Teacher, Woodland School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Ms. Stetser will attend the Gifted and Talented Summer Institute at the University of Connecticut, where she will be exposed to a realm of information that will enhance the district’s gifted and talented program.  Ms. Stetser will learn how the implementation of technology— through the use of resources such as handheld GPS receivers, smart boards, laptop computers, iPods, and smart tables―can enhance student achievement within the Barrington School District and its surrounding community.

New Mexico

Ms. Cara Lynch, Belen
11th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Belen High School
Partner: Ms. Lorinda Lynch
Grant Amount: $5,000

A team of Belen teachers and community partners will engage in an Earth Force training seminar in preparation for both the “Earth Force Summer of Service” and the upcoming school year.  Fifteen teachers will participate in the training, five of whom will engage in a service-learning initiative in partnership with Earth Force.  The primary objective of the training is to support a district-wide cohort of teachers in utilizing service-learning to address local environmental concerns.

Nevada

Mrs. Torrey Palmer, Reno
5th Grade Teacher, Echo Loder Elementary School
Partner: Mrs. Alicia Mayers
Grant Amount: $5,000

A team of Reno educators will build a website that will feature projects and other teacher inquiry information in the hopes of strengthening their collegial inquiry movement and inspiring the participation of other educators in Washoe County.  Qualitative and quantitative classroom data will impact the way educators meet the needs of their students and influence professional culture within their school district.

Ohio

Ms. Gala Gates, Cleveland
10th to 12th Grade Social Studies Teacher, John Adams High School
Partner: Mrs. Lisa Moorer
Grant Amount: $5,000

Ms. Gates and Mrs. Moorer will create a cohort of American history teachers who will participate in a yearlong study of Cleveland history in order to improve the content and quality of American history taught in the city’s schools.  This cohort will engage in workshops at historical museums, tour historical sites, and participate in seminars and curricular planning workshops to align Cleveland's history with the national history of the United States.  Upon completion of the group study, participants will provide professional development to other American history teachers and participate in a history fair.

Pennsylvania

Mrs. Jennifer Lasso, Bethlehem
8th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Broughal Middle School
Partner: Mrs. Dawn Bothwell
Grant Amount: $5,000

Teachers and paraprofessionals will form an interdisciplinary study group to hone in on specific teaching and learning strategies in the fields of differentiated instruction and brain-based learning.  They will implement research-based best practices, evaluate effectiveness by measuring the impact of these practices on student achievement, and seek to share the most effective strategies with peers through in-service training and presentations.

Tennessee

Mrs. Jennifer Anton, Fairview
9th to 12th Grade Mathematics Teacher, Fairview High School
Partner: Ms. Glenda Sullivan
Grant Amount: $5,000

The staff of Fairview High School will collaborate on implementing innovative assessment and grading practices.  Topics covered will include grading as a true reflection of student learning, traditional assessment, and grading practices, and the impact of grades on student behavior, confidence, and achievement.  Upon completion, the group will document its findings and share with educators in the district and state.

Virginia

Mrs. Karen Settles, Chesapeake
6th to 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Oscar Smith Middle School
Grant Amount: $2,000

To improve upon and share her knowledge as an Experienced READ 180 Educator, and to provide quality feedback to new READ 180 Educators in her district, Mrs. Settles will attend the 2010 READ 180 National Summer Institute in Nashville, Tennessee.  At the Institute, Mrs. Settles will explore best practices and learn how to optimize and extend the power of READ 180, a comprehensive reading intervention program. 

Washington

Ms. Chris Wilkie, Seattle
4th Grade Teacher, Stevens Elementary School
Grant Amount: $2,000

To continue to address her students’ writing needs, Ms. Wilkie will attend the Writers Workshop at The Teacher's College Readers and Writers Institute at Columbia University.  The rigorous, five-day literacy training will focus on elevating student writing.  Upon completion of the institute, Ms. Wilkie will be able to teach students to be strong and independent writers more effectively and share her new knowledge with colleagues.

Mrs. Debbie Halstead, Spokane
3rd to 6th Grade Literacy Teacher, Garfield Elementary School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Mrs. Halstead will attend the one-week Reading Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University to gain high-quality literacy strategies for working with struggling and reluctant readers at the intermediate level.  Following the institute, Mrs. Halstead will conduct in-service training at her school, model best literacy practices in grades three through six classrooms, and collaborate regularly with other teachers.

Ms. Amy Lavold, Tacoma
10th to 12th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Lincoln High School
Grant Amount: $2,000

Ms. Lavold will attend Harvard's Project Zero Summer Institute.  Upon completion of the program, Ms. Lavold will return to her district and apply the principles of the institute in a progressive and innovative professional growth opportunity for her colleagues.  She will create a lab school setting where she and her colleagues will observe, implement, and improve pedagogical practices with a focus on student engagement and achievement.

Wisconsin

Mrs. Tracey Crowley, Saint Croix Falls
9th to 12th Grade Business Teacher, St. Croix Falls School District
Partner: Ms. Sharlene Prinsen
Grant Amount: $5,000

A group of educators in St. Croix Falls School District will research best practices for infusing 21st century skills throughout the curriculum, with an emphasis on incorporating rigor, relevance, and technology into lessons to enhance student learning.  The group will also research and develop an innovative, flexible student schedule that supports 21st century learning opportunities, including technology integration, community/business partnerships, collaborative projects, online classes, service learning, career clusters, workforce preparation, citizenship, and character education. 

Ms. Jayne Jaskolski, Milwaukee
Content Specialist, Milwaukee Public Schools
Partner: Dr. Christine Anderson
Grant Amount: $5,000

A cohort of Senior Action Research Fellows (SARF) will collaborate as a professional learning community to mentor first and second year Action Research Fellows; plan and implement the second annual Midwestern Regional Action Research Conference; present at conferences on teacher leadership at the local, state, and national levels; and participate in professional collegial study.  The SARF will continue their own professional development by participating in monthly article and book studies, developing skills to write case studies, and enhancing their teacher leadership presentation skills at the local, state, and national levels.