PowerPoint Presentation

Grant Writing Tips

The Basics: Use the tools provided: Proposal Writing Tips and Excerpts Scoring RubricFollow the GuidelinesProofread your proposalHave someone read and score your proposalFund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

Read the guidelines closely and follow them exactly. Use the rubric provided, this is the tool reviewers will use to score your application, have several people read and score your proposal. Stay away from jargon and acronyms, Have someone that is not in education read and score your proposal, our review committee includes a variety of stakeholders that may not be directly involved in schools. Proofread your proposal, create it in a word processing application and paste into online application. 4

Eligibility

Be employed by a Wisconsin DPI 2012-13 School of RecognitionTeach in a Pre-K through 12th grade classroomHave a minimum of three years classroom teaching experience (may be in the third year at time of application)Student and substitute teaching do not count toward the three year teaching requirement Spend at least 50% of a full-time position in direct instruction with students in a classroom or classroom-like settingHave the intention of returning to teaching in your school/district in the consecutive school yearTeachers may be awarded a Fund for Teachers grant once every three (3) years.

*See your program guidelines for specific eligibility requirements.Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

Proposal Scoring

Grants are evaluated 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 BudgetFund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

The rubric can be viewed on the Fund for Teachers website in the Wisconsin Program Guidelines. The link to this is provided at the end of this webinar5

Section I: Rationale and Purpose

When thinking about your teaching practice what would you like to learn?

What are the key questions you want to explore?

What challenge or passion inspires your proposed fellowship?

Answer each of the following questions:Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

Craft these key questions carefully, think of them as essential questions or learning objectives. These key questions will drive much of your narrative in the other sections of the application. Make sure your fellowship is something that YOU are passionate about, this comes through in the application. 6

Section II: Project Description

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?

Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

This is where you describe the details of your fellowship including the length of stay and details about your itinerary and planned activities. Make sure that your planned activities are closely related to those key questions from your rationale and purpose section. 7

Section III: Teacher Growth and Learning

Answer each of the following questions:How will your fellowship help you to address your key questions and/or learning goals?

How will this fellowship help you grow as a teacher?

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Focus on your growth as a teacher, do not talk about student growth here- that is the next section. Really focus on yourself and think carefully about these two guiding questions. 8

Section IV: StudentGrowth and Learning

Answer each of the following questions:How will students benefit from your proposed fellowship?

What meaningful additions will this experience bring to your classroom?

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Section V: Benefits to School Community

Answer each of the following questions:How will your fellowship experience contribute to your school communitys efforts to engage students and improve learning?

How will you share the fellowship learning with colleagues?

Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

If possible connect your key questions or learning goals to something in your school or larger community. 10

Section VI: Plan for Fellowship Implementation

Outline a plan for implementing learning from your proposed fellowship within your classroom or school. Planning a clear structure for bringing learning back to students contributes to a more focused experience in the field. Your implementation plan may be:

(1) Curricular Unit/Project Outline: Focus on goals, student skills, general content, teaching methods, student outcomes, evidence of student learning and assessment ideas.

(2) Action Plan: Focus on the goals, strategy, evidence of student learning and outcomes for new classroom or school-wide structures.Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

This plan is a draft of what you hope to do when you return, you will have a chance to revise this after your fellowship, be as detailed as possible. The reviewers do not like vague implementation plans, they want to feel secure that this opportunity will have a significant impact on the classroom and community. 11

Section VII: Budget Narrative& Itemized Budget

Brief narrative that demonstrates thorough planning and research. Explain the rationale for the projects expenses; also, provide the project dates and approximate costs.

Include the sources used to arrive at your final itinerary within the narrative.

If your budget includes a technology expense, specify: why the item is necessary to your fellowships success, why you selected the particular brand/type and whether you have experience using the technology.

Note: Food costs cannot exceed $50 per day and should reflect actual destination rates.

ITEMIZED BUDGET: This form is generated by the online application.

Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

Include details such as where you researched prices, price estimates from different travel websites, actual hotel and transportation costs. Even those these may change reviewers want to know that you have done your homework12

Navigating the Online Application

Create an account (ALL Applicants! This includes each member of a TEAM)

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 print the cover sheet or advance past the coversheet until all other member have completed cover sheets and submitted.

Team members must submit before printing their cover sheet

Three parts to the applicationCover Sheet ProposalItemized Budget Sheet

List expenses on the Itemized Budget

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How to Apply

Apply online at: www.fundforteachers.org TIP: Compose your grant Proposal in a word processing program; then cut and paste your Proposal into the online application

Applications available October 2012

Application Deadline: January 31, 2013

Coversheets must be postmarked by January 31, 2013 Each team member must complete a cover sheet.

ALL applicants will be mailed notifications onMarch 29, 2013Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved

Visit the FFT website often, they have lots of tips and tools for writing an excellent application. They have examples of awarded applications to use as a model. Search in the Teacher Project Search section for examples of fellowships that may be like yours, you can search by grade level, topic, and country. 14

Technical Assistance Webinarsthe DPI Teacher Fellowship website http://dpi.wi.gov/rewards/fellowship_index.html We will be scheduling TWO live webinars in December and January to offer live support as you complete applications.

LIKE us on Facebook! Tips and updates posted oftenhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Wisconsin-Schools-of-Recognition Teacher-Fellowship-Program/http://www.facebook.com/fundforteachers

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Questions?

Lara KainEducation ConsultantWisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction125 S. Webster St.Madison, WI 53707lara.kain@dpi.wi.gov608.267.7338Shelley SimpsonFund for Teachers2000 Post Oak Blvd., Ste. 100Houston, TX 77056shelley.simpson@fundforteachers.org713.296.7288

Fund for Teachers 2012 All Rights Reserved