HOW
TO GET FINANCIAL HELP to take a Modeling
Workshop
(11/2017 by Jane Jackson, AMTA volunteer
since the AMTA began. http://modeling.asu.edu
)
1) Ask your school district to pay 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!
FACT: Every
school district and charter school in the USA is eligible to get yearly Federal
Title II funds, primarily for teacher professional development. These funds
must be shared with private schools within the school district boundaries.
FACT: Federal
TITLE II regulations in the ESSA (EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT) are that a local
educational agency (LEA; i.e., a school district or charter school) shall
meaningfully consult with TEACHERS
to develop its yearly Consolidated Application to the State Department
of Education. (For example, the yearly deadline in Arizona is May 1.)
ACTIONS:
a) At the
beginning of the school year, get allies: talk with your principal and your
science coordinator/professional development coordinator.
b) Find out who
your district's Title II coordinator is. (Look on your school district website
for Federal Programs Officer, or Grants & Federal Projects Director, or Title Programs Coordinator...)
c) Collectively,
a group of two or more science teachers in your school e-mail or call your
district Title II coordinator. Say, ÒWe science teachers want to be part of the
ESSA yearly application process.Ó With your allies (see above), ask him/her to
reserve a specific dollar amount of funds for Modeling Workshops next summer:
to build capacity of your science teachers to be effective, and/or to
qualify to teach Dual Enrollment.
Say that Modeling Workshops are high-quality, personalized professional
development that is evidence-based and focused on improving teaching and
student learning and achievement. (Evidence is at the AMTA website: http://modelinginstruction.org and at the ASU modeling legacy website: http://modeling.asu.edu .)
d) If you didnÕt
get involved in planning this yearÕs use of Title II funds, ask your
principal to intercede
for you and request Title II funds from your district Federal Programs
Director. Be courteous; if Modeling Workshops are NOT in your districtÕs yearly
plan, then you can be denied Title II funds – in which case, you need to
get involved in deciding how your next yearÕs district Title II funds will be
used. (If you are denied Title
II funds this year, ask your principal if he has a different source of funds.)
More facts:
* The school district has 27 months
to use the funds. If unused, they go back to the Feds.
* Funds are determined by census
and poverty (80% by poverty, 20% by population).
* School districts can amend their
yearly application; thus, even if the deadline is passed, you can still request
funds.
As evidence that
teachers MUST be involved in developing your school district's yearly
application to your state Dept. of Ed, for Title II funds, read the ESSA
legislation, Title II excerpts, at http://modeling.asu.edu/AZ/TitleII-ESSA-SchoolDistrict.htm
To educate us,
in summer 2016 Steve Larson, the AZ Dept. of Education Director of the Federal
TItle II program, gave a talk to 60 physics and chemistry teachers who were at
ASU. I posted his Powerpoint and my notes at the ASU modeling legacy website: http://modeling.asu.edu. Scroll down to the bottom of the page,
in the section called <Arizona Community>.
2) Rural
teachers: ask your principal NOW to reserve Rural and Low-Income School
(RLIS) funds. Ref. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/index.html
3) Apply to
your local parent club / booster
club. A science teacher
wrote, ÒThe school parent club is usually more than willing to give teachers
money -- the teachers just need to apply for it. In the past I have had to
first apply for the money, then at the monthly parent club meeting give a
little 5-minute presentation on what the money would be used for.Ó
4) See if you
can apply to your school district foundation. Look on your district website for their focuses and
timelines.
5) Ask your
local service organizations.
Colleen Megowan had great success at this, when she taught 9th grade
physics. She wrote, Òcontact your
local chapter of Rotary, Lions, Elks, or Soroptimist International (or other
community service organizations) and ask to speak at an upcoming weekly lunch
meeting. They need a speaker every week. You might be surprised at how glad
they are to have a competent speaker volunteer to be on the program.Ó Download a 2-page Òhow-toÓ at http://modeling.asu.edu/MNS/ServiceOrgs-financialHelp.doc
6) Apply for
a grant. Few exist, unfortunately.
The NSTA website has a list. Visit
the NEA, AACT (Hach grants), and fundforteachers.org websites.
7) HOST a
Modeling Workshop at your school; and apply for a grant from local utilities,
tech companies, and foundations, to pay for 2 Modeling Workshop leaders. Contact Wendy Heheman for advice.
wendy@modelinginstruction.org. Download sample proposals for up to $30,000 at: http://modeling.asu.edu/modeling/professdevelop.html (Independent schools can apply for
$25,000 or more from the Edward E. Ford Foundation http://www.eeford.org/ )
Sample grant
proposals for individual teachers,
and more resources, are at
http://modeling.asu.edu/Projects-Resources.html in the section called <Grants for
Instructional Technology, Improved Instruction, Modeling Workshops>.
Arizona-specific
funding resources are
at http://modeling.asu.edu. Scroll down to the bottom of the page,
in the section called <Arizona Community>.