Improve Academic Achievement
The NEA Foundation’s Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area. The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning and critical reflection. Applications for the $5,000 grant may be submitted any time. Review occurs three times a year: February 1, June 1 and October 15 in 2007
Deadline: Ongoing
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Enhance Science Education
A partnership between Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Toyota TAPESTRY program offers grants to K–12 science teachers for innovative projects that enhance science education in their school and/or school district. Fifty Large Grants and a minimum of 20 Mini-Grants, totaling $550,000, will be awarded in 2007.
Deadline: January 18, 2007
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Support Use of Mobile Technology
The HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative is designed to support the innovative use of mobile technology in K–16 education and to help identify K–12 public schools and two- and four-year colleges and universities that HP might support with future grants. In 2007, HP will award approximately $10 million in cash and equipment to schools in the U.S. and Puerto Rico through the HP Technology for Teaching Program, including reinvestment for selected projects previously funded. Based on outcomes of the projects funded through this initiative in 2007, HP may offer some grant recipients additional, higher-value grants in 2008. Requests for proposals, with specific details about the grant goals and application process, are available now. Return to the site on January 8, 2007 to begin the application process.
Deadline: February 15, 2007 for submitting proposals
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Join the growing list of teachers enjoying the eBookDestination Rewards Program. On the first day of each month, a digital coupon (representing 5 percent of your total purchases in the previous month) will be added to your shopping cart. You’ll then be notified via email of the presence (and amount) of this coupon.

There’s no application to complete, no points to collect, no cards to carry, no codes to enter and (most important) no fees to pay. Quite simply, you are repaid for your loyalty with a 5 percent credit toward future purchases. It’s as easy as that!

Browse the eBookstore now! You’ll receive an automatic discount on some 3,000 ebook titles, many of which are bundled with downloadable audio MP3 files, from major educational publishers. Plus, there’s always a selection of the most popular titles on sale!

Acknowledge Contributions of Senior Citizens
The Purpose Prize^TM, awarded by Civic Ventures, acknowledges Americans over 60 whose creativity, talent and experience are transforming the way the nation addresses critical social problems. The prize provides five awards of $100,000 and ten awards of $10,000 to Americans who have turned 60 years old by January 31, 2007 and are currently working in a leadership capacity in an organization or institution (public, private, nonprofit or for-profit) to address a major social problem.
Deadline: February 1, 2007
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Teach Computer Crime Awareness
Computer Crime: A Lesson Plan for Teachers of Elementary and Middle School Children looks at issues in the field of computer crime, including predatory behavior and breaking into systems to vandalize and/or steal information and intellectual property. The site also offers a “Code of Responsible Computing” as developed by the Computer Learning Foundation.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson Plan

Integrate Environmental Studies into Academic Disciplines
The stories and activities that comprise each unit in Maggie’s Earth Adventures, a free online curriculum, introduce students to actual environmental issues and motivate students to delve deeper into the issues presented. In the Teachers’ Lounge, you’ll find a multitude of printable lessons with standards-based activities that correlate with the animated stories. In each story, Maggie carries a mission pack of various devices. These devices contain interactive activities from various disciplines to allow students to see the connectedness and relevance of math, science, geography, language arts and cultural experiences. The program is accessible in English and Spanish. Sign up online to receive free downloadable activity packets sent via email every week of the academic year.
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Address Special Needs
TinSnips is a special education resource with a variety of specialized teaching tools, techniques, worksheets and activities for teachers of students who have autistic spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities. Many of the activities may be appropriate for prekindergarten and kindergarten children.
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Get free unlimited online access to all the print content in The Big Deal Book for Educators of Struggling Students, Middle School Through High School and The Big Deal Book of Technology for K–12 Educators. Explore the many opportunities to fund your special programs, access timely reports and articles, locate free and inexpensive resources and identify engaging interactive Web sites. Many of the offerings will help you meet the needs of students with disabilities and English language learners.

On Film: The Story of an Idealistic Teacher
Based on the 1999 book, The Freedom Writers Diary, a film to be released on January 12, tells the story of how one young idealistic teacher changed a southern California classroom of “at-risk” students in a high school filled with racial tension. Erin Gruwell used journal writing and relevant literature to help students transform themselves and the world around them.
Click Here to Watch Movie Trailer

Plus: How much do you know about the Freedom Writers and the books they wrote? Find out by taking the Freedom Writers Diary Challenge and the Favorite Books Challenge on the Erin Gruwell Education Project’s Web site.
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On Stage: The Struggles in an Urban Classroom
Nilaja Sun’s hit play, No Child . . . , brings the urban classroom to the stage—and leaves the old clichés behind. In just 75 minutes on a bare stage, Sun penetrates the day-to-day chaos and despair of impoverished schools: buildings in shameful disrepair, administrators who recruit naïve do-gooders to the teaching pool and let them drown, kids who have never received respect and consequently don’t know how to give it. Sun also addresses the No Child Left Behind Act, which inspired her show’s name. This play, she suggests, may rank as one of the happier outcomes of the law, which emphasizes reading and math skills and penalizes struggling schools that don’t meet federal standards of accountability. “Accountability,” sighs the janitor, gazing wearily at a hole in the ceiling. “Now, who’s accountable for that?” No Child . . . continues its Off-Broadway open-ended run at the Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street, New York.
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Integrate Data Collection into Curricula
Starting in February 2007, science and math educators across the country can take Vernier Software & Technology’s free hands-on workshops in data-collection technology. Educators will spend a four-hour session learning how to integrate data-collection technology into their chemistry, biology, physics, math, middle school science, physical science and Earth science curricula. Participants will have an opportunity to collect data on computers, TI graphing calculators and Palm OS^TM handhelds. In addition, they will receive a free Workshop Training Manual. The workshops will take place in 42 cities nationwide. Register online or sign up to be notified about specific workshops by email.
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Preparing for a Global Workplace
On December 14, 2006, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a high-level bipartisan group of education, state and business leaders, unveiled recommendations calling for a major overhaul of American K–12 education so that students are prepared to thrive in the global workplace. The twenty-first century will demand that students develop better global literacy, innovative thinking, teamwork skills and thoughtful management of information, members of the commission and other organizations predict. Click below for information about the report, Tough Choices or Tough Times, the members of the commission, the research on which the findings were based and much more.
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Celebrate the New Year in Different Languages
From Bengali to Zulu . . . say “Happy New Year” in 26 different languages and start 2007 off with an International New Year Celebration in your classroom.
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Immerse Kids in the News
Check out the KidsPost section of The Washington Post Web site, offering articles, games and surveys, all designed especially for young readers. Sections include When I Grow Up, I Want to . . . (profiles of people with interesting jobs), My Name Is . . . (children and families from all over the world), History of Washington (illustrated story of the Washington area from 1600 until now) and Web Resources (cool sites and games).
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Inspire Future Scientists
A bone detective, space geologist and robot designer, among others, inspire future scientists at I WAS Wondering . . . a curious look at Women’s Adventures in Science. Created by the National Academy of Sciences, the Web site encourages young people, especially girls, to pursue an interest in science. Lia, the teenage cartoon character who hosts the site, guides visitors through interactive resources and activities designed for middle school students. The site also includes science labs, games and a parent–teacher guide. It is the companion Web site to the Women’s Adventures in Science book series. The Web site and book series showcase the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and highlight the careers of some of today’s most prominent scientists.
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Explore How Technology Shaped Your Generation
Your PLACE in Time highlights five generations of the twentieth century and looks at everyday technologies that shaped each of those generations. Each exhibit is presented through a series of vignettes.
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Design a Planet
Astro-Venture is an educational, interactive, multimedia Web environment highlighting NASA careers and astrobiology research in the areas of Astronomy, Geology, Biology and Atmospheric Science. Students in grades 5–8 are transported to the future where they role-play NASA occupations and use scientific inquiry as they search for and build a planet with the necessary characteristics for human habitation. Supporting activities include chats with real NASA scientists, online collaborations, classroom lessons, student publishing area, and occupation fact sheets and trading cards.
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