Educators

STEM Enhancement Grant Eligibility Requirements and Guidelines

Online Application due December 18, 2009

1. Grant applicants must be a public, parochial, or private school teacher or curriculum coach for grades 5-12 in an Arkansas school.  The applicant must be certified by the Arkansas Department of Education unless the applicant is an EAST lab facilitator.  Applications for EAST must show a partnership with a STEM classroom led by a certified teacher. 

2. The equipment purchased with this grant must be used by students in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math classes. It should be functional in several activities or in multiple grade levels. 

3. Equipment included in the budget may be specialized software, hardware, lab kits (non consumables) , multi media equipment or other tools.  Non-consumables, books, or equipment provided by the school as part of a normal laboratory or classroom will not be funded.  General technology equipment such as document cameras, projectors, laptops, cameras, and calculators will only be considered if the use of the tool can be tightly joined to the curriculum project with creative and innovative uses, and if the tool is to be used by students.  There should be documentation included in the application to show this equipment is not standard in the applicant’s school. The application budget should list each item, its cost and the appropriate shipping and taxes.  The proposed budget cannot exceed $2000.

4. Classroom projects or learning activities must support the Arkansas curriculum frameworks, ISTE standards, or 21st Century Skills.

5. Classroom projects or learning activities must be related to STEM or STEM career awareness.  (Projects related to industry or community, strengthen the STEM career path.) Teachers are encouraged to develop creative curriculum plans that will utilize new skills and technologies or will focus on the latest science and math advancements.

6. Recipients will provide a summary of the success of the project and feedback that includes the student responses to the curriculum activities and the use of the equipment.  They will also agree to assessment procedures and site visits determined by the Authority’s external evaluators.  Proof of purchase will be submitted to the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority.

7.  Online applications are due by midnight on December 18, 2009 and awards will be announced by February 1, 2010.

Incomplete Applications will not be accepted.  All sections of the application must be completed with accurate and appropriate information.  (The application must contain the correct school district tax id number, along with the correct email address of the applicant.)   Applicants may want to prepare the longer answers in any text editor and then paste the answers into the online form fields.  Applicants cannot save a partial online application to finish at a later time.  If your internet connection is interrupted before submission of the application, your work will be lost.

Along with demographic and contact information, the following questions appear on the online application form:

Describe the inquiry based hands-on classroom project or activities that will result from the purchase of the requested technology, materials, or equipment.  Be sure to explain clearly why the proposed items are essential and how they enhance curriculum concepts or teaching methods.   The purchased items should be used by the students with a specific purpose.  (Limit: 500 words, font size 10)

Describe how the planned activities will benefit the students.  Would the curriculum concepts be taught without the purchase of proposed instructional equipment/materials/technology?  How would student benefits be measured and reported?  You may include research supporting this type of teaching method or activity? (Limit: 500 words, font size 10)

Explain or list the Arkansas curriculum frameworks, ISTE standards, or 21st Century Skills incorporated in the proposed project or activities. (Limit: 500 words, font size 10)

Explain how STEM career awareness is supported by the planned activities. (Limit: 200 words, font size 10)

List the requested items and their cost.  The total should not exceed $2000.  (Limit: 500 words, font size 10)

Total Amount Requested: Requested amount should be rounded up to the nearest 100.

The Optional field is available tofurther explain why your proposal should be funded.

The following guidelines must be acknowledged by the teacher (applicant) and the principal:

If at any time during the award period, the applicant (teacher) is not employed at the applicant school, the purchased materials will remain in the intended classroom or department. The school will notify the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority (Authority) of another teacher named by the principal to fulfill the intent of the project and to assume reporting responsibilities.
An online report will be submitted to the Authority within 30 days after the expiration of the award. This report will include a summary of student activities and any other information requested by the Authority Board of Directors.

The award funds may be used only for materials listed in the budget of this proposal.  Proof of purchase will be submitted in the final report.

Should any publications or presentations result from this project, the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority, the National Science Foundation, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation should be acknowledged and a copy of the publication should be forwarded to the Authority.

If requested, award recipients will agree to site visits by Arkansas Science & Technology Authority staff or evaluators.

For questions or concerns, contact Cathy Ma, Arkansas Science & Technology Authority at 501 682 8187 or cathy.ma@arkansas.gov.