Goal setting is an important part of education. Without goals we meander around wasting a lot of time. We’re in a boat without a paddle. We’re on vacation without a map. You get the picture. Goals are important.
In your school or classroom, you are not likely to make the progress you should unless you set good, attainable goals. Using assessment data from the end of last year or the first of this year, you should determine exactly where your students are and then determine just how far you can take them by the beginning of June, 2012.
It might also be worth your while to set some goals for individual students as well. Although most school and classroom goals are set based on average gains, it is important to remember that when students get out of school, it’s not what the group learned on average that’s important, it’s what each individual student is able to accomplish.
Not too many weeks after you set your goals, you should be able to determine whether you have the time and resources to reach your goals by the end of the school year. Often teachers and principals decide they need extra resources in the form of grant money in order to meet their goals. If you don’t set goals, it is harder to track progress. By the time you determine you’re not making enough progress, it might be too late to apply for grant money.
Which of your programs require goals to be set? All of them. It doesn’t matter if you’re teaching reading, social studies, music or PE. Every program should have set goals. Students who are not on a pace to reach your goals should get extra time and attention. If you aren’t able to give these students the time and attention they need to meet your goals, then that may be the reason for applying for grant money or forming partnerships with local businesses. Businesses often want to supply volunteers as well as giving money to a local effort.
With most districts throughout the country having to cut school budgets this year, it is important that you set goals in your classroom or school. Start working toward those goals immediately. If it appears you will not be able to reach your goals with the limited resources you are given, take aggressive action by applying for grants and forming business partnerships within your community.
You don’t just set goals on New Year’s Day. For educators New Year’s Day comes a second time in August or September. Your students are depending on you to set worthwhile goals for them to achieve and then to make every effort to see that each and every one of them is successful.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Check It Out: NEW Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: After-School Grants
Funded by: DoSomething.org
Description: School is back in session, but sometimes it's what kids do after school that makes the biggest impact on their lives. Do Something and JCPenney have teamed up to support youth-led after programs and school projects across the country. Types of projects this grant funds: Projects started by young people who are providing after school activities that help youth in their community. How much?: Ten $500 grants and five grand prize $1,000 grants. Each winner will also receive a limited-edition Flirtitude Tote.
Program Areas: After-School, At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 9/15/11
Average Amount: $500.00 - $1,000.00
Website: http://www.dosomething.org/grants/afterschool
Availability: All States
Funded by: DoSomething.org
Description: School is back in session, but sometimes it's what kids do after school that makes the biggest impact on their lives. Do Something and JCPenney have teamed up to support youth-led after programs and school projects across the country. Types of projects this grant funds: Projects started by young people who are providing after school activities that help youth in their community. How much?: Ten $500 grants and five grand prize $1,000 grants. Each winner will also receive a limited-edition Flirtitude Tote.
Program Areas: After-School, At-Risk/Character, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 9/15/11
Average Amount: $500.00 - $1,000.00
Website: http://www.dosomething.org/grants/afterschool
Availability: All States
Check It Out: NEW Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant Program
Funded by: Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Description: The grants support programs that encourage literacy and creativity in children and may be used for activities such as: bringing in guest authors, illustrators, or storytellers; puppet making, book making, or other projects; book writing contests, etc. Application is online and must be printed and mailed to the address listed below.
Program Areas: Arts, Library, Reading, All Other
Recipients: Public School
Proposal Deadline: 9/15/2011
Average Amount: $500.00
Address: Ezra Jack Keat Minigrant Program, 450 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Website: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/
Availability: All States
Funded by: Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Description: The grants support programs that encourage literacy and creativity in children and may be used for activities such as: bringing in guest authors, illustrators, or storytellers; puppet making, book making, or other projects; book writing contests, etc. Application is online and must be printed and mailed to the address listed below.
Program Areas: Arts, Library, Reading, All Other
Recipients: Public School
Proposal Deadline: 9/15/2011
Average Amount: $500.00
Address: Ezra Jack Keat Minigrant Program, 450 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Website: http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/
Availability: All States
Monday, August 1, 2011
Keep Your Eyes Open for Grant Opportunities
As you prepare to go back into your school and your classroom this month, keep your eyes open for grant opportunities. What problems can you find that will need grant money to help you solve them. Remember, a good grant-writing campaign always begins with problems that you are trying to solve at the district, school, or classroom level. By keeping your eyes open for these problems in August, you may find an opportunity to apply for a number of grants.
What kinds of problems might you see? You might have more children who are obese in your classroom this year. You might have more special education students who are mainstreamed into your class. You might find that more of your students can’t buy the school supplies they need. You may have fewer students who speak English. You may find that your budget has been cut so severely that you don’t even have the supplies you need for the year.
These are the kinds of problems you may be able to see quickly and find grant money to help you alleviate or solve. You have a choice. You can face these problems and try to find grant money to help you, or you can wake up in a few weeks, admit you have these problems, and face the reality that you will have to deal with them for the entire year without adequate funds.
You are fortunate in that Discount School Supply provides you with a free school grant database to find grant money. If you happen not to find a suitable grant there, you might want to check out School Grants for Teachers. This website concentrates on providing grant information strictly to classroom teachers.
Regardless of which grant database you end up using, your first step is to identify the problems you are likely to face this year, then to use a good database to find grant money to help you. A number of sites have evolved during the last few years such as DonorsChoose.org and KidsandClassrooms.com which allow teachers to place wish lists online so donors can find school projects that they want to support.
It’s not going to be many weeks before you are so busy that you will have little time to think about grants. As you get your list of students, your assignments, and your supplies, this is an excellent time to take an inventory to see if you will need help in the form of grant money this year and just how much help you might need.
The start of each school year is always a time of new hopes and bright beginnings. As we draw closer to this exciting time, just make sure you have an eye out for possible problems and always remember that grant money may help you find the solution to those problems.
What kinds of problems might you see? You might have more children who are obese in your classroom this year. You might have more special education students who are mainstreamed into your class. You might find that more of your students can’t buy the school supplies they need. You may have fewer students who speak English. You may find that your budget has been cut so severely that you don’t even have the supplies you need for the year.
These are the kinds of problems you may be able to see quickly and find grant money to help you alleviate or solve. You have a choice. You can face these problems and try to find grant money to help you, or you can wake up in a few weeks, admit you have these problems, and face the reality that you will have to deal with them for the entire year without adequate funds.
You are fortunate in that Discount School Supply provides you with a free school grant database to find grant money. If you happen not to find a suitable grant there, you might want to check out School Grants for Teachers. This website concentrates on providing grant information strictly to classroom teachers.
Regardless of which grant database you end up using, your first step is to identify the problems you are likely to face this year, then to use a good database to find grant money to help you. A number of sites have evolved during the last few years such as DonorsChoose.org and KidsandClassrooms.com which allow teachers to place wish lists online so donors can find school projects that they want to support.
It’s not going to be many weeks before you are so busy that you will have little time to think about grants. As you get your list of students, your assignments, and your supplies, this is an excellent time to take an inventory to see if you will need help in the form of grant money this year and just how much help you might need.
The start of each school year is always a time of new hopes and bright beginnings. As we draw closer to this exciting time, just make sure you have an eye out for possible problems and always remember that grant money may help you find the solution to those problems.
Check It Out: NEW Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: Bikes Belong Grant Program
Funded by: Bikes Belong Coalition
Description: The Bikes Belong Grant Program strives to put more people on bicycles more often by funding important and influential projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the U.S. These projects include bike paths and rail trails, as well as mountain bike trails, bike parks, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.
Program Areas: Health/PE
Recipients: Public School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/26/11
Average Amount: $10,000.00
Telephone: 303-449-4893
Email: mail@bikesbelong.org/grants
Website: http://www.bikesbelong.org/grants
Availability: All States
Funded by: Bikes Belong Coalition
Description: The Bikes Belong Grant Program strives to put more people on bicycles more often by funding important and influential projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the U.S. These projects include bike paths and rail trails, as well as mountain bike trails, bike parks, BMX facilities, and large-scale bicycle advocacy initiatives.
Program Areas: Health/PE
Recipients: Public School, Higher Education, Other
Proposal Deadline: 8/26/11
Average Amount: $10,000.00
Telephone: 303-449-4893
Email: mail@bikesbelong.org/grants
Website: http://www.bikesbelong.org/grants
Availability: All States
Check It Out: NEW Grant Opportunity!
Grant Name: Donald Samull Classroom
Funded by: Herb Society of America
Description: Public and/or private 3rd through 6th grade teachers, with classes of a minimum of 15 students may apply for an indoor or an outdoor herb garden grant. The Herb Society of America in cooperation with Prepara® chef's performance tools will award five (5) schools each year indoor herb growing stations. The classrooms selected will receive four (4) Prepara® Power Plant pro indoor soil-less gardening stations and educational materials to use in the classroom. The Prepara® Power Plant pro gardening station is all that is needed to grow herbs indoors. Each gardening station will include the unit, grow sponge, nutrient, seeds and the grow lamp. The Herb Society of America will provide the educational materials. The Herb Society of America will select four (4) schools/classrooms to receive $200 "Seed Money" to establish an outdoor herb garden. The funds may be used for supplies such as soil, plant trays, containers, child or youth sized tools, etc. The school may need to seek additional funding and support from other sources. The Herb Society of America will provide the educational materials and herb seeds.
Program Areas: Science/Environmental
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School
Proposal Deadline: 9/1/2011
Average Amount: $200.00
Address: 9019 Kirtland Chardon Rd., Kirtland, OH 44094
Telephone: 440-256-0514
Website: http://www.herbsociety.org/resources/samull-grant.html
Availability: All States
Funded by: Herb Society of America
Description: Public and/or private 3rd through 6th grade teachers, with classes of a minimum of 15 students may apply for an indoor or an outdoor herb garden grant. The Herb Society of America in cooperation with Prepara® chef's performance tools will award five (5) schools each year indoor herb growing stations. The classrooms selected will receive four (4) Prepara® Power Plant pro indoor soil-less gardening stations and educational materials to use in the classroom. The Prepara® Power Plant pro gardening station is all that is needed to grow herbs indoors. Each gardening station will include the unit, grow sponge, nutrient, seeds and the grow lamp. The Herb Society of America will provide the educational materials. The Herb Society of America will select four (4) schools/classrooms to receive $200 "Seed Money" to establish an outdoor herb garden. The funds may be used for supplies such as soil, plant trays, containers, child or youth sized tools, etc. The school may need to seek additional funding and support from other sources. The Herb Society of America will provide the educational materials and herb seeds.
Program Areas: Science/Environmental
Recipients: Public School, Private/Charter School
Proposal Deadline: 9/1/2011
Average Amount: $200.00
Address: 9019 Kirtland Chardon Rd., Kirtland, OH 44094
Telephone: 440-256-0514
Website: http://www.herbsociety.org/resources/samull-grant.html
Availability: All States
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