1) Ask
Your School District to ay with Federal Title II-A Funds. A
Modeling Workshop can be an excellent investment for your school because you
can become a valuable resource for teaching science effectively with
technology! School District
"No Child Left Behind" funds (NCLB Title II-A) can be used for
"professional development activities that improve the knowledge of
teachers ... in:
(a)
Content knowledge. Providing training in one or more of the core academic
subjects that the teachers teach; and
(b)
Classroom practices. Providing training to improve teaching practices and
student academic achievement through effective instructional strategies,
methods, and skills ..."
The
first funding priority for school district (LEA) "No Child Left
Behind" funds (NCLB Title II-A) is to assist teachers to become Highly
Qualified (HQ). Charter school teachers and private
school teachers are eligible for Title II-A funds through a LEA.
Also,
"Title II, Part A funds may be used to purchase materials and supplies
used in professional development activities, including the materials (such as
graphing calculators) that a teacher will need in order to apply the
professional development in a classroom setting..." Title II funds may be
used to assist teachers in meeting state certification requirements, e.g., by
paying for the costs of additional required courses.
Title
II-A funds are FEDERAL, and they are stable each year. Each year's funds start
on July 1, and you can ask for those funds to pay for modeling workshops that
start after June 30.
Your
principal is the person to ask; he/she can contact your district Title II
Coordinator and request them. Be courteous; if modeling workshops are NOT in
your district's yearly plan (submitted to the State Department of Education),
then you can be denied those funds -- in which case you need to get on your
district committee that decides use of Title II-A funds each year.
We
encourage you to download this NCLB guide
and give it to your administrator to support your request. The bottom line is:
you are probably eligible for NCLB funds, and we suggest that you ask your
school or district, at minimum, for financial support for a Modeling Workshop
using your local Title II funds. We suggest $1000 as a reasonable amount for
teachers to request.
Then
get involved in your LEA's needs assessment and plan,
for your long-term benefit.
Proviso,
added in 2014: most states got waivers from the Òmost onerousÓ regulations in
NCLB, so some of this might no longer apply. Ask your principal, courteously –
and/or visit your stateÕs Department of Education website and search for ÒESEA
waiverÓ.
Click
here to download a sample grant proposal
that should help you obtain funding from your district.
Another
possible school district source of funds:
If you are in a rural low-SES school, ask your principal if you can get
registration funds from Rural Education Achievement (REAP).
2)
Seek financial support from a community service organization.
(Strategies. Updated in Feb. 2014)
3)
Click here for a list of funding sources for teachers,
from foundations and community service organizations.
4)
More resources are at http://modeling.asu.edu/Projects-Resources.html
in the section called ÒGrants for
Instructional Technology, Improved Instruction, Modeling WorkshopsÓ
* List of grant sources for
K-12 science teachers
* Grant guide (old but
useful)
* (weblink) Vernier, Inc.
grant guide, list of funding sources & articles supporting classroom
technology
* Classroom technology: sample proposal
* CASTLE electricity:
sample proposal
* How you can get classroom
technology