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National Foundation for the
Improvement of Education
Established by NEA in 1969, the National
Foundation for the Improvement of Education is a foundation created
by educators for educators. Today every level of the nation's education
system is examining how best to serve a multicultural, information-driven,
and rapidly-changing society. NFIE's programs provide front-line practitioners
the support they need to explore new frontiers in teaching and learning.
NFIE programs recognize and promote excellence
in teaching and learning. Every member of the National Education Association
can participate. NFIE's programs provide faculty and staff the support
they need to implement ideas that have practical applications in educational
environments. Ongoing projects of interest to the foundation are those
that suggest innovative ways to improve the quality of teaching, address
the multicultural issues facing education, and explore how advanced technologies
can be used to make learning more effective. NFIE's grant cycle follows
the academic year: Grant guidelines are available in the fall, applications
are due in late winter, and winners are announced in the spring to allow
start-up time before the funded projects are due to begin.
Learning Tomorrow
This national program focuses on cooperation and
collaboration at all levels of the educational system--K-12 teachers, higher
education faculty and staff, and administrators--and makes it possible for
teams of educators to explore how advanced technologies can help create
more effective learning environments. One innovative change in the Learning
Tomorrow program establishes capacity-building institutes called Christa
McAuliffe Institutes. These institutes include workshops and hands-on activities
that focus on:
- integrating technology into a multidisciplinary
curriculum
- working effectively with diverse populations
of students
- working with students who are at risk of school
failure
- meaningfully involving parents in their children's
education
- gaining community support
- documenting and assessing their projects in
terms of student academic and social achievement, self-change, and structural
or systemic change
Another professional development strategy links
the schools electronically and uses a facilitator to guide online dialogue.
This program provides ongoing technical assistance provided on-site and
online. Participating teams are awarded $10,000 to implement their proposed
two-year grants.
Student Success Grants Program
This national program was created to promote students'
academic and social success in schools and has a different focus each year.
NFIE's Student Success Grants Program is anchored by the firm conviction
that all students in our increasingly diverse society must be given the
opportunity and support necessary for success in school and for productive
participation in society. To that end, grants of up to $1,000 are awarded
to teachers, support staff, and higher education faculty who develop projects
to accomplish one or more of the following goals:
- to increase parental involvement with their
children's academic work through parent-school collaboration
- to improve students' confidence about their
ability to become successful, productive adults
- to create interdisciplinary, project-based
approaches to learning through which students can construct their own
knowledge. These approaches should be built upon the students' own environments
and experiences.
Creating, implementing, and administering successful,
innovative projects is a complex process requiring skills often not addressed
in teacher preparation programs. NFIE is aware of these complexities.
Therefore, the foundation couples grants with ongoing technical assistance,
programmatic guidance, and opportunities for project leaders to explore
and discuss in depth creative strategies for achieving their goals.
Hilda Maehling Grants Program
This program pays tribute to NEA's first assistant
secretary for professional development. Created to enhance the prestige
of teaching and encourage faculty and staff at all levels to become involved
in their professional associations, the program today funds NEA member projects
that improve professional development and advance professional association
work. Grants also support projects that improve teaching. "Hilda Maehling"
grants have funded projects in biotechnology for both faculty and students,
education on student depression and suicide, and more. Individual members,
teams of members, and local Associations may apply.
William G. Carr Grants Program
The William G. Carr Grants Program was established
in 1967 to honor the former executive secretary of the NEA. Carr worked
to improve international understanding and cooperation among educators,
founding the World Confederation of Organization of the Teaching Professions,
forerunner of Education International. Today, Carr grants are awarded to
NEA members and members of Education International-affiliated educational
organizations who propose projects that will help students understand international
issues, involve them in international cooperation, develop their global
awareness, or engage them in peace studies. Grant guidelines also encourage
projects emphasizing leadership development and professional association
work. Individual members, local Associations, and educators from other countries
who are members of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching
Profession may apply. Grants are given to projects contributing to international
cooperation, global education, or peace. Grants do not usually support study
for advanced academic degrees or certification, foreign travel, tuition
fees, supplementary salaries, honoraria, or the purchase of either software
or hardware.
For further information on all application deadlines
and grant amounts, contact: NFIE, 1201 16th Street, N.W., Washington,
DC 20036 (202-822-7840). Visit the NFIE
web site.
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