Internationalizing Teacher Preparation

The Longview Foundation is offering two cycles of funding (Spring 2010 and Fall 2010) focusing on expanding programs to internationalize pre-service teacher education. The program to internationalize pre-service teacher education supports activities to ensure that PK-12 teachers in all subject areas begin their careers with:

• Knowledge of the international dimensions of their subject matter and a range of global issues;
• Pedagogical skills to teach their students to analyze primary sources from around the world, appreciate multiple points of view, and recognize stereotyping
• A commitment to assisting students to become responsible citizens of the world and their own communities.

Amount: $15,000 - $30,000

Date due: January 15, 2010 (for Spring 2010); July 16, 2010 (for Fall 2010)

Grants are made to encourage teacher preparation programs to adopt a range of strategies on the home campus to develop the global expertise of future teachers. These include:

• Expanding programs for prospective world language teachers.
• Providing professional development for faculty and advisors
• Supporting revisions to the general and professional education requirements and courses for teachers
• Creating opportunities for fieldwork in internationally themed classrooms or multicultural communities in the United States
• Using technology to bridge international geographic and cultural barriers

For more information, click here.

Milken-PennGSE Education Business Plan Competition

The First Annual Milken-PennGSE is a business plan competition sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and the Milken Family Foundation.

Amount: $25,000 (first prize); $15,000 (second prize)

Date due: February 2, 2010

Educational entrepreneurship business plans should outline the problem they address, offer a solution, and discuss scaling possibilities for bringing the proposed innovation to additional settings. Broadly construed, educational entrepreneurship initiatives can address a wide range of educational issues. This competition encourages applications in every conceivable educational setting – from early childhood through corporate/adult training, in settings and contexts anywhere in the world.

For more information, click here.

Undergraduate Foreign Language (Teacher Preparation)

The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) program provides grants to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages. An invitational priority is for collaborative efforts between colleges of education and other colleges within the same institution to propose projects that will strengthen instruction in foreign languages and international studies in teacher education programs that provide pre-service training for K-12 teachers in foreign languages and international studies.

Amount: $100,000/year for 3 years

Date due: December 17, 2009

Competitive preference is given to institutions that require graduating students to have two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language or who can demonstrate the equivalent.

For more information, click here.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences Institutional Grants Program

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences funds the Institutional Grants Program to assist in fostering educational activities between the public and the film industry while encouraging the appreciation of motion pictures as both an art form and a vocation.

Amount: Varies

Date due: January 15, 2010

Eligible programs include but are not limited to craft workshops and conferences in which college students and/or adults are trained in one or more of the various craft fields of film production (directing, cinematography, screenwriting, editing, etc.); library and archival projects in which the papers of filmmakers are preserved and/or made available to the public; screening programs, especially those in which filmmakers interact with audiences; seminar programs, in which film professionals discuss their work and/or particular aspects of the creation and distribution of films; teacher training programs, in which production techniques and/or film appreciation information is presented for teachers to take back to their classrooms; and visiting artist programs, especially those in which a filmmaker spends several days in residence at a college, university or media center.

For more information, click here.

Environmental Education Grants

The EPA solicits grants to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. This grant program provides financial support for innovative projects that design, demonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques as described in this notice.

Amount: $15,000 - $25,000

Date due: December 15, 2009

For more information, click here.

Big Read Program Offers Grants

The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to conduct month-long community-wide reads between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture.

Amount: $2,500 to $20,000

Date due: February 2, 2010

Organizations selected to participate in the program will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 each, access to online training resources, educational and promotional materials, inclusion of the organization and activities on the Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national program. Approximately seventy-five organizations from across the United States will be selected to participate.

Grants must be matched at least one-to-one with non-federal funds. Grant funds may be used for expenses such as book purchases, speaker fees and travel, salaries, advertising, and venue rental. Applicants can select one of the thirty-one available reading choices.

For more information, click here.

R & D to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

The Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood is requesting proposals for research and demonstration projects to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Amount: $1,240,000 for a 40-month

Date due: January 19, 2010

The QIC-EC will support 3-5 research and demonstration (R&D) projects that show promise of generating robust evidence and new knowledge related to the following overarching research question: How and to what extent do collaborations that increase protective factors and decrease risk factors in core areas of the social ecology result in optimal child development, increased family strengths, and decreased likelihood of child maltreatment, within families of young children at high-risk for child maltreatment?

In their approach to this question, R&D projects must target high-risk families who have an infant between the ages of birth to 24 months at the inception of the project, and for whom there has been no substantiated Child Protective Services report in the 24 months preceding acceptance into the project.

For more information, click here.

Institute on U.S. for foreign secondary educators

The Branch for the Study of the United States, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, invites proposal submissions for the design and implementation of three Study of the United States Institutes to take place over the course of six weeks beginning in June 2010. These Institutes should provide a multinational group of experienced educators with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. Two of these Institutes will be for groups of 18 foreign university level faculty, focusing on U.S. Culture and Society, and Journalism and Media. The third Institute will be a general survey course on the study of the United States for a group of 30 foreign secondary educators. Applicants may propose to host only one Institute listed under this competition.

Amount: $360,000

Date due: December 3, 2009

Study of the United States Institutes are intensive academic programs whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty, secondary educators, and other scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of American society, culture, and institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen curricula and to improve the quality of teaching about the United States in academic institutions abroad.

For more information, click here.

K-12 School Funding (to share with K-12 colleagues)

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has released the Request for Applications (RFA) for Oregon’s 21st Century Technology-Rich Learning and Teaching ARRA Title IID Subgrants. Click here for the application.

The Accelerate Oregon Foundation (AO) is offering districts and schools across Oregon the opportunity to submit an application to receive a grant for Classroom Presentation Systems to be placed in 8th grade classrooms. Click here for the application.

The Oregon Department of Education and the Accelerate Oregon Foundation are coordinating these two grant opportunities in partnership to maximize school district planning for, and integration of, education technology and 21st century education. Both ODE and AO place a high priority on public private partnerships to increase school access to 21st century education resources.

National Planning Grants and Indian Tribes Planning Grants

The purpose of planning grants is to support the development of AmeriCorps programs so applicants are better prepared to compete for a multi-state AmeriCorps grant in the following grant cycle. These grants are awarded for 12 months.

Amount: $250,000

Due: October 19, 2009

For more information, click here.

Paraprofessional Preservice Program Improvement Grants

U.S. Department of Education announces the availability of funding to help address the need for highly qualified personnel in special education, related services, early intervention, and regular education to work with infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Improving paraprofessional preservice programs will help ensure that paraprofessionals are adequately trained to meet IDEA requirements and the needs of children.

Amount: $150,000/year for 4 years

Date due: November 3, 2009

Purpose of the program is to improve paraprofessional preservice programs in one of two focus areas. Focus Area A is for EI, ECSE or ECE paraprofessional to serve children ages birth through five. Focus Area B is for K - 12 general education and/or special education.

For more information, click here.

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program (Teacher Education focus)

This program supports overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area stuidies for groups of teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. Projects are short-term and include seminars, curriculum development, or group research or study.

Amount: $$90,000 for 12 months

Due: October 6, 2009

Projects must focus on one or more of the following geographic regions of the world: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and Eurasia, and the Near East.

There are two competitive preferences and one invitational priority. Competitive Preference 1 is for projects focusing on any of the 78 languages deemed critical on the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less Commonly Taught Languages (list within RFP). Competitive Preference 2 is for projects that develop and improve foreign language and/or area studies at elementary and secondary schools. Invitational Priority is for collaborative efforts between colleges and/or departments that provide pre-service traning for K-12 teachers in foreign languages and international area studies in teacher education programs.

For more information, click here.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) -- includes Education

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation including education. REU Sites must have a well-defined common focus that enables a cohort experience for students. These projects may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme.

Amount: Varies

Due: October 22, 2009

REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Defense supports REU Sites in DoD-relevant research areas.

For more information, click here.

Supporting Universities to Partner Across the Pacific

The United States Agency for International Development Mission to Indonesia is seeking applications from U.S. institutions of higher education that support USAID/Indonesia's development strategy through partnership activities between institutions of higher education in Indonesia and the United States.

Amount: $650,000

Due: September 8, 2009 (concept paper)

Priorities include improving the quality of teacher training institutions, improving economic research and analysis, improving public health services, supporting effective governance through policy making, public management and advocacy, and improving agricultural productivity.

For more information, click here.

Teacher Quality Partnership Grants (Round 2)

The U.S. Department of Education announces Round 2 of the Teacher Quality Partnership grants program. The purpose of the TQP grants are to improve student achievement, improve the quality of new teachers, hold teacher prep programs accountable, and to expand the teacher candidate pool.

Amount: $2m/year for 5 years

Due: October 6, 2009

The primary difference between Round 1 and Round 2 funding is the extension of the MAT residency to 18 months and the allowance of fifth-year teacher preparation programs.

For more information, click here.

NASA K-12 STEM & Teacher Professional Development

NASA is seeking proposals that focus on secondary education and incorporate innovative approaches for development and delivery of instructional materials, create experiences that capture the interest of learners, and actively involve participants in NASA science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) content applications.

Amount: $750,000 - $1.5m over two years

Due: September 25, 2009

Proposals initiating professional development opportunities for in-service educators. This funding category supports sustained secondary education level in-service teacher professional development, with emphasis on reaching high school level educators. Proposals should utilize NASA content to enhance teacher content knowledge and confidence in teaching STEM. Proposals should articulate, in reasonable detail, how teachers will apply knowledge gained through participation in the proposed activity to the classroom. Proposers should also identify where and how NASA-unique content will be integrated into teaching activities. Proposals for in-service professional development should involve schools, school districts, state departments of education, or other academic institutions, where appropriate.

For more information, click here.

Model Demonstration for Projects on Tiered Approaches for Improving Writing Proficiency of High School Students (OSEP)

The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program is to promote academic achievement and to improve results for children with disabilities by supporting model demonstration projects.

Amount: $400,000/year for 4 years

Due: August 12, 2009

The purpose of this priority is to fund cooperative agreements to support the establishment and operation of three Model Demonstration Projects on Tiered Approaches for Improving the Writing Proficiency of High School Students (Projects) who have writing difficulties, including those at risk for and with learning disabilities. Each project must design, implement, and evaluate a tiered approach in high schools that incorporates evidenced-based components including screening, progress monitoring, core instruction, and instructional interventions at varying levels of intensity based on students’ learning needs. The models must have writing as the core instructional component.

For more information, click here.

Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program

The U.S. Department of Education announces a request for proposals (RFP) from partnerships of universities and school districts.

Amount: $2 million/year for 5 years

Due date: July 23, 2009

The purposes of the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program are to (1) improve student achievement; (2) improve the quality of new and prospective teachers by improving the prepartion of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers; (3) hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education accountable for preparing highly qualified teachers; and (4) recruit highly qualified individuals into the teaching force.

For more information: click here.