The following organizations received grants:

Garden State Equality

$35,000
Support for a program called Teach and Affirm.  The program will help establish a repository of good practices and will result in a more robust school leadership program to be conducted in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout NJ. Specifically, GSE plans to develop a more comprehensive suite of passable materials, online modules, trainings, and workshops that positively represent LGBT individuals across academic content areas and that promote diversity and inclusion.

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

$30,000
Support for Maine teachers as they engage students in science writing. Findings from the Field is a first-of-its-kind online, open-source journal that publishes science articles that are written and peer-reviewed by middle school students. Support will allow GMRI to surround this unique journal with rich teacher professional development and curriculum materials to maximize student learning. Findings offers a rare and motivating opportunity for students to communicate authentic, relevant, compelling information to a variety of readers who have genuine interest, supported by a publication vehicle that represents the height of scientific achievement.

University of Iowa

$35,000
Support for The University of Iowa (UI) Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research (ICATER) in collaboration with the UI Education Technology Center (ETC) to develop and pilot a new online course, Designing and Applying Accessible Digital Content. The aim of the course is to teach educators and preservice educators how to design and create inclusive/accessible educational materials and experiences for learners with disabilities. The proposed course will be piloted with preservice educators as an elective course in the College of Education. Participants in the first year will be surveyed, and their feedback used to update the course. Following the pilot year, the course will be shared across the University, with K-12 schools and other agencies so that accessibility can be taught to broad audiences. The course is needed so that P-16 instructors know how to plan for the diversity of learners in their classrooms, create materials that allow all students (including those with disabilities) access to the curriculum, integrate inclusive methods, and utilize accessible assessments. The proposed course will model Universal Design for Learning principles.

The following organizations received $35,000 in grants:

ICivics

$35,000
Support to develop a full instructional unit on a core civic subject: Foundations of Government. This unit will be the basis for any government class. It explores the principles and philosophies behind modern political institutions. The unit will have 5-6 individual lessons, including case studies, assessments and activities that strengthen primary source reading and media literacy.

Profound Gentlemen,

$35,000
Support for a 12-month project to develop, support and retain highly effective male teachers of color across the nation to positively impacting the academic achievement of all children in traditional public and charter schools, with special attention to the achievement of boys of color.

1881 Institute,

$35,000
Support for a STEM program for vulnerable populations by integrating  STEM into school curriculum and preparing youth to enter STEM fields, specifically entry level engineering and technician positions.

University of Vermont

$35,000
Support to use exploratory findings to collaboratively develop an intervention that would guide families and educators to new pathways for effective communication and engagement. Developed collaboratively with families, community members, and education professionals, an intervention that would build capacity of both teachers and families to partner to improve educational outcomes for vulnerable students in Vermont and elsewhere.

Advocates for Youth, DC

$35,000
Support teachers to deliver a new and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in schools across the country.  The curriculum is age and developmentally appropriate, sequential, LGBTQ inclusive and mapped to the National Sexuality Education Standards (www.advocatesforyouth.org/3rs-curriculum). This enables educators in any school district, with any budget to have unfettered access to a high quality sexuality education curriculum and supporting resources from which to tailor to meet their unique needs

KQED, CA

$35,000
To support KQED in creating a series of self-paced and synchronous online professional learning courses, produced alone and with partners, that will be free and accessible for educators to help them learn and practice the digital media literacy skills and strategies they need to be excellent teachers – engaging students in collaborative, meaningful learning experiences and developing their communication and technology skills. These skills will impact learning across all subject areas. The courses will be offered in an online environment that tracks user progress, awards open badges for achievement, and encourages sharing and feedback through an integrated online community space.  UPDATE: KQED has received  the Media Literate Media award from NAMLE, the National Association for Media Literacy Education for this project.  It’s in recognition of KQED Teach, their service to help teachers bring media literacy skills and tools into the classroom.

NACA, NM

$35,000
Support for NISN (NACA Inspired School Network) Fellows to launch new schools in three New Mexico communities. Schools will be community-designed and led, responding to and nurturing Native culture and sustained by the collective vision of their community. These schools will be part of NISN’s national educational reform demonstration project, sharing best practices and expanding successful educational approaches for Native students across the United States.  The schools will provide a rigorous education while integrating Native American culture, identity, and community investment.

Community Guilds, GA

$35,000
Support for a classroom model STE(A)M Truck program in the Metro Atlanta area. The STE(a)M Truck is a blue and green van filled with things like band-saws and 3- D printers, and can set up a mobile innovation lab at any school property.

urban college of boston, MA

$35,000
To support The High School to Teacher dual enrollment program which is a career-focused study in high school that leads to an early-career certificate and accelerates students’ completion of an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) at UCB, The students are then qualified to work as a paraprofessional in Boston Public Schools (BPS) classrooms. Students who continue their studies and earn a Bachelor’s degree will be qualified as full classroom teachers. The program is designed for juniors and seniors reflecting the diversity of BPS students. Participants for this spring’s inaugural class are from our target audiences: 50% African-American, and 50% Hispanic. The program is free to students, including their books.