Presented by Ann McMullan Executive Director, Educational Technology Klein Independent School District Writing Winning Grant Proposals NSBA T+L 2 Conference October 23, 2003

Some Food for Thought

Consider this… Technology is any tool that expands the mind to solve a problem.

Question? What is the most commonly used technology in schools today? Hint: It is used in every classroom, in every curriculum, grades K-12.

Some Visual Clues...

The most commonly used technology ( any tool that expands the mind to solve a problem ) in schools today is...

Question? When was the last time that we organized a “Paper Committee” to write a five year paper plan?

Here’s the point!!! F Districts and schools should not be writing “technology” plans any more than they write paper, pencil or text book plans. F Districts and schools should write learning plans. F The real revolution is not about technology, it’s about...

Information Communication What information do we want our students to have? How and when will information be communicated to the students? How will students communicate their mastery of the information? Relationships What sort of relationships do we want our students to have... with each other, teachers, parents, community and world at large?

As we begin to think about grant writing, we should ask our teachers these questions:

What information do you want? Information for teachers themselves Information for their students

Once the “information” questions have been answered we can move on to the “communication” questions... F How will the information be processed? F What tools (technology) do you need?

And finally, how do we put learning in a “real life” context? F How will students work independently and together? F What connections will students make to the world outside the classroom? What relationships do we want students to have?

Remember, technology is not about “stuff”, it’s about… Information Communication Relationships

Once we have a sound “learning” plan in place we are ready to consider: What materials (equipment) do we need to carry out our plan? How do we pay for the “stuff” we need to implement our learning plan? With a strong plan for learning in place, now focus on: Grant Seeking Strategies

Writing Winning Grant Proposals a.k.a. “Digging for Dough”

Technology Grants Received by Klein ISD YearGrantAward# of Schools 1996TIE$716, TIF$100, TIE$652, TIF PS4$240, TIF PS8$800, TIE$978, TIF PS9$300, Ninth Grade Initiative$900, TIF SP$264, TIF PS10$400, TIF PS11$100,0002 $5,452,373

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Education programs as technology opportunities: Along with targeted funding for technology, many of the education programs, such as Reading First, allow recipients to purchase technology resources to accomplish the program’s goals Commitment to professional development: A myriad of programs offer funds for professional development to ensure teachers understand how to integrate appropriate technology tools effectively with their curriculum. Flexible uses of funds: States, for example, may use funds for interstate distance learning partnerships, data decisions support systems, and even forming public- private partnerships that support activities such as interest free loans. Evidenced Based Education …a commitment to funding strategies that have been proven to work based on scientifically based research.

Pick the symbol that most appeals to you.

Intelligence

Leadership

Masochists

F Idea of a perfect vacation: taking a carload of children from Disneyland to DisneyWorld in a Honda Civic F Favorite Hobby: Filling out IRS tax forms F Favorite TV show: Ron Popeil Infomercials F Favorite Place to Hang Out: LA Freeway during rush hour MAKE EXCELLENT GRANT PROPOSAL WRITERS

Today’s Objectives: F Identify Grant Writing Terms F Evaluate Proposal Responses F Identify Lessons Learned in Proposal Evaluations

Grant Writing Terms F Grant F Evaluation Criteria F Query Letter F RFP F Proposal

Simulations

Important Ideas to Keep in Mind F Develop a winning attitude: your ideas deserve the money. F Write the grant and get it out the door. F Do Your Homework. F It is not your grant: the funding source owns the grant. F Find the grant that meets your needs; do not apply for simply any or every grant. F Don’t worry about being profound or original.

Safe Assumptions to Make About Your Grant Readers F They do not know who your students are. F They do not know who your are. F They probably do not know the content of the proposal.

Super Tip: Ask for last year’s winning grants.

Inform All Major Stakeholders A grant that involves the process of unifying people is “successful.”

F Develop an in-house (and out of house) review process before you send the grant for official review F Warning: Up to one third of all grants do not follow the directions and end up being thrown out. And finally...

Just Jump in and DO IT! Good Luck