The final rules for the i3 Innovation Fund were released today. Pick up the details and application package here. Registration is now open for pre-application workshops and webinars. As per the i3 registration site, be sure to only register for one of the workshops OR a webinar. (If you're not in Baltimore, Denver or Atlanta, be sure to secure your spot now at one of the webinars today — capacity is 200 applications.)
Investing in Innovation (i3) Pre-Application Workshops:
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Time |
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March 19, 2010 - Baltimore, MD |
10:00 am - 2:00 pm |
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March 24, 2010 - Denver, CO |
10:00 am - 2:00 pm |
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March 30, 2010 - Atlanta, GA |
10:00 am - 2:00 pm |
Investing in Innovation (i3) Pre-Application Webinars (capacity is 200):
Time March 19, 2010 10:00 am - 2:00 pm webinar March 24, 2010 10:00 am - 2:00 pm webinar March 30, 2010 10:00 am - 2:00 pm webinar
Session Date
(Eastern )
Registration
"Just as we have standards around academic goals, we need standards around school climate because what gets measured is what gets done. We’re only going to put school climate at the priority level it deserves—which to me is at the top—if we have standards around it and start measuring it."
—Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Education in Phi Delta Kappan (PDK) magazine
Now is a truly exciting time for education reform as the Administration defines its priorities and sets new goals for student achievement, spending allocations, and legislative focus. Last month, President Obama released the Federal Budget projections for FY 2011, including an increase of more than $3.5 billion overall. A critical piece of this proposed spending ($410 million) is slated to go toward the new Successful, Safe and Healthy Students Program, which will consolidate programs currently offered under the Office of Safe & Drug-Free Schools. These changes point to a significant shift in focus, with school climate reform becoming one of the main priorities for driving student success. CSEE is proud to have been at the forefront of this effort for many years, and we applaud the government for deepening its commitment to school climate funding and reform.
With these pivotal changes in sight, the new issue of School Climate Matters introduces several new and exciting resources from CSEE and the National School Climate Council: National School Climate Standards, a School Climate Guide for District Policy Makers and Educational Leaders; and a School Climate Implementation Road Map. The Standards present a vision and framework for a positive and sustainable school climate that is then reinforced with the supports included in the District Guide and Road Map. Together, these resources will help your school or district align current practices with the shift in federal guidelines and make real progress toward school climate improvement this year. In addition, we are launching a new periodic publication—the School Climate Briefs—which will provide detailed commentaries from experts in the field on key school climate topics. The first in this series is a 2010 School Climate Research Summary (PDF).
These tools add to CSEE’s proven supports in this area—including our leading school climate measurement tool, the CSCI—and build directly from our experience working with thousands of educators and students nationwide. In this issue, we bring this work to life with inspiring profiles of two NYC public schools dedicated to building more effective learning communities. We are also thrilled to announce that registration is now open for our 13th Annual Summer Institute, which will include a keynote by Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education, Kevin Jennings. Sign up today to learn about the most up-to-date school climate efforts and supports nationwide. We hope to see you there!
Click here to download the PDF of the newsletter. As always, we want to learn from you, too. Please tell us what your school or district is doing to actively address school climate needs and let us know how we can help. Share your thoughts at: newsletter@csee.net.
All the best for a positive and productive spring!
As a fundraiser I know all too well how challenging it is to raise money—especially in these uncertain times. However, despite the difficult financial climate, education remains a top funding priority. The United States Department of Education is committed to providing resources to help our nation’s schools develop and grow. While there have been a number of grant opportunities benefitting states and districts, there are a many that offer schools an opportunity to apply for funds, as well. While researching funding opportunities, I would also encourage you to peruse the foundation center’s website and see if there are any grantwriting seminars in your area. Most are free and could provide you with valuable information, techniques and suggestions on how to go about the grantwriting process (which can be a very tedious and daunting procedure).
On the Department of Education’s website the list of grant opportunities is constantly updated. (Click here for the most up-to-date information.) Since the grants are extremely competitive, I would suggest checking the site regularly to see if anything new has been posted and to make sure deadlines are met. Recently, $650 million was allocated for the i3 (Investing in Innovation Fund) designed to support research-based innovative programs that help improve outcomes for students. School districts and groups of districts can apply for these grants. The funding will be awarded across three categories of grants.
Below are these three categories:
Sprint has announced the launch of the 2010 application period for the Sprint Character Education Grant Program, its annual character-education grant program for schools and school districts across the United States.
Now in its third year, the program awards Sprint Foundation grants to school districts and individual schools to fund resources that facilitate and encourage character education among K-12 students. The program is open to all U.S. public schools (K-12) and U.S. public school districts.
In 2010, the Sprint Character Education Grant Program will award grants between $500 and $5,000 each to individual schools and grants between $10,000 and $25,000 each to school districts. In 2009, the Sprint Foundation awarded a total of more than $450,000 to schools and school districts through the program. The deadline is feb. 5th for applications; to learn more and complete the RFP, click here.
iGive is doing a special promotion to help nonprofits raise money for their causes. For each person who joins iGive using the special link below and does just one qualified web search on their site between now and noon Thursday, they'll give CSEE a dollar. It sounds small, but it adds up!
This is a quick, free and easy way to support the work we do in schools. You will be directly supporting crucial CSEE campaigns that directly benefit schools-in-need, such as the School Climate Counts Fund and BullyBust.
To make a difference today, join iGive and do one search using this link:
http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?m=538241
Thanks for your support!