2015 Information Session

Our Mission 2 Recognizing teachers as professionals Professional learning experiences of your own design Honoring teacher commitment to student success Awarding grants directly to teachers

Eligibility 3 Employed full-time as a PreK-12th grade teacher Spends at least 50% of their work week in direct instruction with students in a classroom or classroom like setting Intends to continue teaching in the consecutive school year Has at least three years teaching experience; and Previous recipients must wait for 3 years before reapplying. NOTICE: Effective October 1, 2015, a mandatory 5 year waiting period becomes policy.

Grant-Writing Tips 4 Use the online tools provided: Proposal Writing Tips and Excerpts Scoring Rubric Follow the Guidelines Proofread your proposal Have multiple people (both educators and non-educators) read and score your proposal

Proposal Scoring 5 Grants are scored using a rubric. Each section of the proposal is weighed equally: Fellowship Rationale and Purpose Project Description Teacher Growth and Learning Student Growth and Learning Benefits to School Community Plan for Implementation of Fellowship Learning Budget Narrative / Itemized Budget

Section I: Rationale and Purpose 6 Answer each of the following questions: When thinking about your teaching practice, what would you like to learn? What are the key questions or learning goals you want to explore? What challenge or passion inspires your proposed fellowship? What grade(s) and subject area(s) do you teach?

Section II: Project Description 7 Answer each of the following questions: Describe and outline in detail your proposed fellowship. What key activities will you pursue, and why are they important? What is the time frame for achieving the goals outlined in the Rationale and Purpose?

Section III: Teacher Growth and Learning 8 Answer each of the following questions: How will your fellowship help you address your key questions and/or learning goals? How will this fellowship help you grow as a teacher? How will the new proposed learning inform the content you currently teach?

Section IV: Student Growth and Learning 9 Answer each of the following questions: How will students benefit from your proposed fellowship? What meaningful additions or impact will this experience bring to your classroom?

Section V: Benefits to School Community 10 Answer each of the following questions: How will your fellowship experience contribute to your school community's efforts to engage students and improve learning? How will you share your fellowship learning with colleagues?

Section VI: Plan for Fellowship Implementation 11 Outline a plan for implementing learning from your proposed fellowship within your classroom or school. We realize that not all valuable learning and transfer can be predicted; however, planning for a fellowship contributes to a more focused and significant learning experience for teacher and student. Your implementation plan may be: 1.An outline of a newly created or enhanced curricular unit/project – OR – 2.An action plan for new classroom or school-wide structures that you hope to create

Section VII: Budget Narrative & Itemized Budget 12 Provide a brief narrative showing evidence of thoughtful planning and research into your specific itinerary It should explain the rationale for the project’s expenses; stipulate a time frame and approximate costs as closely as possible Include the resources used to arrive at your final itinerary within the narrative If including a technology expense, specify: Why the item is necessary for the fellowship's success, why you have chosen the specific brand/type, and whether you have prior experience using the technology Food costs should reflect actual destination rates and cannot exceed $50 per day per person Itemized Budget: this form is generated by the online application

Navigating the Online Application 13 Create an account Select if you are applying as an individual or as a team Team lead must initiate the application process and will not be allowed to advance past the cover sheet until the other member(s) has signed the cover sheet(s). There are three parts to the application: Cover sheet Proposal Itemized Budget Sheet List expenses on the Itemized Budget

How to Apply 14 Apply online at: Tip: Compose your grant proposal in a word processing program; then cut and paste your proposal into the online application Applications available October 1, 2014 Application Deadline: January 29, 5:00pm CST Cover sheets: To be signed digitally by each applicant and school principals (Principals will receive an to verify and sign cover sheets) Each team member must complete a cover sheet All applicants will be notified of the selection committee results by April 3, 2015

Questions? 15 Sarah Hoppe Knight Chicago Foundation for Education Alycia Johnston Fund for Teachers Fund for Teachers reserves the right to review the terms and conditions of this grant program, and to make changes at any time, including termination.