Show Me the Money!

Wow!  Who knew there were so many resources and funding available out there for teachers!

First, I got the opportunity to learn a little more information about developing partnerships with businesses and corporations in the community.  I never really thought about the process that it takes to set up a partnership.  I always assumed that the businesses reached out to the schools to develop a partnership plan, but I've learned that it is important for the teachers and administrators in a school to really research the best partner choices in the area and come up with a plan prior to contacting the business.  There are several key strategies that I read about from the website: http://www.danielsfund.org/sevenstrategies/strategies/.  These strategies include:

• Focus on student learning/achievement
• The partnership should be well-defined and well-managed
• Make strategic goals
• Set clear expectations
• Provide training
• Set up a communication plan and a system for recognizing the partnership
• Monitor and evalute the partnership and the program as time progresses to determine if the partnership is effective.

I thought that these were all really important points and probably things I would have never thought of on my own.  For some reason, I always thought of partnerships as very laidback, but I now see how important it is to have laid out plans and goals that benefit both the school and the partner.  I think a well made plan will help the school and the partner get the most bang for their buck out of the partnership.  Also, I found a great resource for finding partnerships - reviewing the Chamber of Commerce.  I know that sounds obvious, but it was really great to see all the businesses and corporations located in our city listed in one place.

When I look at the partnerships currently set up at my school, I wonder if there are plans in place with these businesses because I'm not convinced that we are really focusing on the improvement of student achievement.  I know the businesses enjoy the positive press and the school enjoys the coupons and incentives, but a good partners should provide so much more than that!

I also got the opportunity to review different grants online.  In the past, I always thought of grants as a long, complicated paperwork process that doesn't even guarantee that you will get the funding that you need.  I was definitely proven wrong!  I discovered that there are grants available for all grades and all subject matters out there!  There really is no limit.  Also, grant applications are really not as complicated as I thought.  Most grant applications could be completed in a matter of hours if not even less.  For the benefits, it seems silly not to at least apply!

I was really excited because I found a particular grant that would be great for the engaged learning project.  The thought of having up to $1,000 to implement that project sounds amazing and I can't believe that it is available right at the tips of my fingers.

Overall, once again, I have been exposed to new things that I really new nothing about before.  I'm excited to share the information I learned about partnerships and grants with my colleagues, and I can't wait to see how we can benefit our students!