Find Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Education’s Forecast of Funding lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the department has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and provides actual or estimated deadline dates for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in the form of charts, organized according to the department’s principal program offices. The charts include previously announced programs and competitions as well as those planned for announcement at a later date.
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Entice Children to Read
In celebration of National Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) Day, The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association (NEA) are offering the D.E.A.R. Bookshelf Awards to promote children’s literacy and motivate readers of all ages. The program will award $500 to public schools for the purchase of books and reading materials that entice students to “drop everything and read.”
Deadline: March 12, 2007
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Plus: The National D.E.A.R. Day partners are marking April 12, the birthday of author Beverly Cleary, as the official event date. Beloved storybook character Ramona Quimby is the program’s spokesperson.
Click Here for More Information About D.E.A.R Day

Get a “Helping Hand”
Need a hand with computers for your school or money for band or science trips? Hamburger Helper is looking to lend a helping hand with its “My Hometown Helper” grant program. Through May 31, 2007, $15,000 will be given away each month to fund hometown projects across America. To apply for the award, individuals from communities or organizations must submit a written essay of 250 words or less describing how the “My Hometown Helper” grant would help improve their community project.
Deadline: Deadline: May 31, 2007
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Plus: Create your own “Helping Hand” using the printable template on the Hometown Helper site. Click on the “Print a Hand” link at the bottom of the Web page.

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!

Express Personal Ideals
In her diary, Anne Frank writes, “I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” The National WW II Museum invites students to tell, in their own words, whether they agree with Anne Frank’s belief that “people are really good at heart.” The best essays will include specific examples from World War II and specific examples from today. Students may use examples from their own experiences, as Anne so often did. The contest is open to all high school students in the United States and United States Territories. The first-place winner will receive $500; the second-place winner, $300; and the third-place winner, $200.
Deadline: March 30, 2007
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Picture Optimism
The National WW II Museum celebrates the optimism that Americans expressed during the war—the belief that, even though times were tough, we would achieve victory. This year the museum is conducting an art contest around the theme of optimism. Students in grades 5–8 can participate in the contest by creating a work of art based on examples they find of optimism during World War II. The museum will select one winner from each grade, each of whom will receive a $100 prize, a museum shirt and a baseball cap. Three honorable mentions from each grade will receive a certificate and a museum shirt and baseball cap. (Only the first 500 submissions will be accepted. The Web site will indicate when 500 submissions have been received.)
Deadline: All submissions must be postmarked by March 30, 2007
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Explore a Political Issue
C-SPAN StudentCam is an annual documentary competition that invites students to identify a current political topic of interest and produce a short (up to 10-minute) video documentary that creatively explores an issue while integrating C-SPAN programming. The competition is open to individual or teams of students in grades 6–8 or grades 9–12. Forty-five prizes totally $25,000 will be awarded.
Deadline: March 30, 2007
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Pioneer Use of Telecommunication Networks
ISTE’s Telelearning SIGTel Online Learning Award recognizes creative teachers for their pioneering use of telecommunication networks to provide innovative learning opportunities for school-age students, K–16. Entries should describe innovative telecomputing learning activities completed between February 1, 2006 and June 1, 2007. Educators worldwide are eligible for the award. Awardees will receive a one-year standard membership in ISTE and concurrent membership in ISTE’s Telelearning Special Interest Group.
Deadline: March 31, 2007 for nominations
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Explore the Ruins of Atlantis
Have you ever wondered where the Lost City of Atlantis is really located? Have you ever been intrigued by the significant Mongolian empire ruled by Genghis Khan? Has your curiosity ever run wild about the secrets behind King Tut? Join The History Channel every Monday night as Digging for the Truth embarks on an all-new, adventure-filled season to gain rare access to some of the most captivating places in the world. Then visit the History Channel Web site after each week’s episode to answer a few trivia questions for your chance to win a trip to Atlantis Paradise Island, The Bahamas where you will have the opportunity to “Dig for the Truth” yourself and explore the fantasy ruins of the Lost City of Atlantis.
Deadline: Ongoing through April 22, 2007
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Celebrate Latin American Culture
Frijolitos, Inc. is a collaborative effort of writers, artists and educators who strive to share the traditions, folklore and history of Latin America through a fantastic world inhabited by charming and fun-loving frijolitos characters. Children who enter the Web site will meet new Frijolitos friends Alb??ndiga, Picadillo and the rest of the Frijolitos family in the Frijolitos line of books.
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Prepare for a Career in Computing
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has produced a guide to prepare students for careers in computing. The brochure, titled “Computing Degrees & Careers,” details what computer professionals do and describes the growing range of career opportunities available. It also identifies the major areas of study open to those with an interest in this expanding field. The accompanying Web site provides additional details about computing disciplines and major fields of study as well as the “Top 10 Reasons to Major in Computing” and “Skills You’ll Learn If You Study Computing.”
Click Here to Download Free Brochure

Integrate Math and Music
Based on more than 30 years of brain and learning research, the nonprofit MIND Institute’s ST Math+Music^TM curriculum uses non-language-based computer math games with a boost from music training to teach K–5 students problem-solving skills. Because ST Math+Music is non-language based, it is immediately helpful to English language learners.
Click Here for Demo and Video

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.

Celebrate Teen Tech Week
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced Teen Tech Week^TM, a new celebration aimed at getting teens to use their libraries for the different technologies that are offered there, such as DVDs, databases, audio books and video games. Teen Tech Week will be celebrated for the first time March 4–10, 2007. On Monday, March 5, at 4 PM EST, the Teen Tech Week Taskforce is hosting a virtual event in which librarians and library workers can log on to the event’s Web site and explore how media and technology may shape the future of publishing for teens.
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Plus: Additional information about YALSA as well as lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening are available on the ALA site.
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Provide Feedback on Technology Standards
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has revised the guidelines for what it believes students should know about technology prior to graduation. The organization is seeking feedback from educators on a draft version of the new standards.
Click Here to Respond to Draft

Improving the No Child Left Behind Act
In February 2006, 15 leaders in education—representing K–12 and higher education, school and school-system governance, civil rights and business—came together to form the Commission on No Child Left Behind, a bipartisan, independent effort dedicated to improving NCLB. During the past year, the Commission traveled across the country, listening to the experiences of students, educators, parents, administrators, state and district officials, experts and policymakers. On February 13, 2007, the Commission released its final report, Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise of Our Nation’s Children, outlining specific and actionable recommendations for establishing a high-achieving education system.
Click Here to Access Free Report

Preparing for Technological Innovation and Globalization
According to America’s Perfect Storm, a new report from the Educational Testing Service (ETS), U.S. workers may be significantly less literate in 2030 than today. The report, released on February 5, predicts retiring baby boomers will be replaced by a large wave of less-educated immigrants, resulting in a downward shift in reading and math skills among the U.S. workforce. The decline in literacy is one of three converging trends that ETS has labeled a “perfect storm” on the country’s horizon. The other two factors are a dramatically changing economy driven by technological innovation and globalization and sweeping demographic changes due to an ever-growing immigrant population.
Click Here to Access Free Report

Highlighting Future Technologies
The 2007 Horizon Report, a collaboration between The New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), highlights six technologies that the underlying research suggests will become very important to education over the next one to five years. A central focus of the discussion of each technology is its relevance for teaching, learning and creative expression. Live Web links to example applications are provided in each section as well as to additional readings.
Click Here to Access Free Report

Increase Sensitivity to and Understanding of Islam
Do your students have questions about Islam? Here’s a place to go for answers. The Islam Project is a multimedia education and community engagement effort rooted in two widely praised PBS documentaries, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet and Muslims. The project’s goal is to encourage informed discussion of Islam and its role in the world of the 21st century. Central to the project is an educators’ Web site. Created by teachers for teachers, the site offers a spectrum of materials, including original lesson plans and maps, essays, annotated scripts of the PBS films, biographies, First Amendment guidelines for presenting religion in the classroom and tools that will help teachers create their own lesson plans on Islam or evaluate the lesson plans of others.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Help Parents Learn About the Online World
NetSmartz411^TM is an online resource for answering questions about Internet safety, computers and the Web. The site enables parents and caregivers to search the knowledge base for answers to all of their questions about the online world. If they cannot find what they are looking for, they can use the Ask the Experts tab to send a question. NetSmartz411 is provided at no cost to the public by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Check Students’ Understanding of Science Content
The self-correcting cloze activities from the Jefferson Lab provide opportunities to check students’ understanding of science content. Topics include Charges and Electricity, The Earth’s Energy Budget, The Water Cycle, Internet Safety, Looking for Quarks Inside the Atom, Magnets and Electromagnets, Microscopes, and Properties and Changes. Plus, teachers can add their own comprehension passages for the class to use.
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