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Framingham Public Schools
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Mini-grants Since 1991, the Foundation has awarded over $200,000 in 267 mini-grants to teachers, staff, and administrators who are striving to enhance the curriculum throughout the district. Sharing a flair for ingenuity in what—and how—they teach, the grantees are as varied as Electronic Bookshelf, high-school weather station, elementary poets-in-residence, and middle school Future Scientist Club. Some mini-grant recipients, such as Kindergarten Lending Library, have been so successful that their programs have been adopted by other schools and are now thriving townwide. |
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In the Fall of 2005, two new grant funds were established by donors wishing to promote programs in special areas. The Irving August Fund for International Understanding was founded to encourage programs that "teach, expose, and encourage students, of all ages, in all aspects of international relations, especially those that reach out beyond our town's borders." The Jade Walsh Fund for Language Arts supports programs, again for students of all ages, that improve literacy skills and encourage student appreciation of all forms of literature. Then in 2007, the Town-wide PTO pledged an annual donation of $500 to launch a grant program to honor the late Deborah Blumer, state representative, champion of educational opportunity for our children, and friend and supporter of FEF. The Deborah Blumer Fund for Civics, Government and Community Engagement awarded its first grant in May, 2007 to the Potter Road School for a "Citizenship and Government Shared Learning Project." All of these new funds are administered under the umbrella of our mini-grants program. Both of these new funds are administered under the umbrella of our mini-grants program. For 2007-08, 25 teachers and staff members will receive $21,198 to help develop innovative educational materials, projects, and events. For a complete list and descriptions of current mini-grant program, see our 2007-2008 Mini-grant Recipients. To apply for a grant, please read our Guidelines For Applicants and then complete a grant application. For more information please email us your inquiries at grantinfo@framinghamedfoundation.org Signature Project Grants Some projects reach well beyond the scope of a mini-grant and FEF takes on a greater role in the definition, direction and funding of a large-scale program. Among FEF's Signature Grants are the R.O.P.E.S. peer mentoring program, Lifeskills Guidance program at FHS (originally Flyers in Transition,) and the new After-School Ballroom Dance program and LEGO Engineering Club program, all described below. R.O.P.E.S. - Respect Other People Equally (Siempre) Through the collaborative financial efforts of the Framingham Education Foundation (FEF), along with the Carlisle Foundation and private community donors, the R.O.P.E.S. program has been implemented in all three middle schools and Framingham High with remarkable results. R.O.P.E.S. is a pro-active peer training program developed by the Anti-Defamation League's "A World of Difference ĩ Institute for Peer Training." This program builds understanding in the school community by celebrating one another's differences as well as similarities. Unlike peer mediation, R.O.P.E.S. is a community-wide initiative to inform and empower students, educators, and parents to promote a safer, more respectful, and inclusive public school environment. During the 2002-03 academic year, 85 students at the three middle schools completed the program and went on to teach workshops and make presentations to their peers. The effect of their efforts has been exciting to chart:
The R.O.P.E.S. program was so successful that it became an independent program, incorporated into the regular High School program, and funded by the District. In so many ways, this program is what FEF is all about: helping to pilot new programs, supporting teachers and counselors as they turn their ideas into real-life programs with real impact on students' lives, or bringing in promising programs ‚ proven elsewhere ‚ and launching them here in our schools. The best ones become part of the fabric of our schools, with positive results for years to come. Flyers in Transition at Framingham High School Flyers in Transition, the second Signature Project to be launched by FEF, was made possible by a contribution from the Rotary Club three years ago and is now the cornerstone of a new guidance curriculum at Framingham High School. Now renamed Lifeskills, Flyers in Transition is a required, one-semester freshman course based on author Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Students learn time management, basics of budgeting, how to prioritize, and other self-organizing techniques that serve them well in high school and beyond. Lifeskills is administered through the Framingham High School Guidance Office. Another new FEF Signature Grant Program was launched in September 2007, and builds on a FEF-funded program at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. Inspired by the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, this After-School Ballroom Dance program used dance as the vehicle to develop self-confidence and social skills for fourth- and fifth-graders, and introduced them to the joys of ballroom dance as a social and physical activity they can enjoy for life. Declared a major success by teachers, parents and students, this was clearly a program that should benefit far more students, and FEF acted to extend the program to other elementary schools. With financial support from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation, FEF took this program town-wide for 2007-2008. Students at seven elementary schools across Framingham are participating in this 20-week after-school program, taught by award-winning professional ballroom dance instructors, and culminating in a shared performance for families, friends and the public. The goal is to have students learn the fun and rewards of regular physical activity, gain social skills and confidence as they prepare to enter middle school, and discover a new genre that they can enjoy--and benefit from--for many, many years. Thayer Grants for Technology and Research Established over a decade ago in honor of Framingham's former superintendent, Eugene Thayer, the Thayer Technology Grants for many years were devoted solely to support professional development. In 2005, the program was renamed Thayer Grants for Technology and Research to reflect the widened scope of technology in the Framingham Public School System as well as educators' need to perform research. Because technology is now integrated into every possible academic subjectãand is itself an academic subject (i.e., tech ed, computer science, life sciences, etc.), Thayer Grants now fund:
Thayer Grant projects in recent years have included: Technical Equity for Learning: which provided free computers to selected students who had demonstrated both academic accomplishment and effort, and the need for this equipment to further excel academically. Measuring Cellular Energetics with O2 and CO2 Sensors: supported the purchase of sophisticated lab equipment that allowed enhanced study of cellular respiration in AP Biology classes. Sibelius Project : provided music notation software that allows both teachers and students to create music in a multitude of ways, including composing new pieces, enhancing simple pieces with harmony and percussion parts, and even creating full orchestrations. Edmark Reading Project: provided software to help students with learning or developmental disabilities learn to read and improve their reading fluency. FHS College and Career Center: this grant supported professional development training to bring the latest information and processes to the teachers and counselors who help high school students prepare for their futures and develop plans to meet their personal goals. Guidelines for applying for a Thayer Grant: Technology To qualify for funding, the proposed technology purchases should not be a stand-alone item, but should be an integrated part of a program or project that will enhance the curriculum (in any academic subject); the applicant should be able to state how the purchase will affect his/her approach to the curriculum (i.e., how the technology/materials will be integrated into a lesson plan). Similarly, requests for professional development should demonstrate a link to the curriculum. Research The foundation recognizes that formulating innovative projects can require preliminary research. Therefore, Thayer grants can now be used to pay for expenses associated with performing research. Applications for research support should state how the findings will be used to develop new projects or programs that enhance the curriculum. Research projects do not need to have a technology component in order to qualify for Thayer funds. In general, the Framingham Education Foundation gives special consideration to projects that take an innovative approach. We are especially interested in new projects or in current projects that can be significantly enhanced, adapted, or updated with our funding. As with all of the foundation's grants, all employees of the Framingham Public School System are welcome to apply. Applications are considered on a rolling basis; there are no deadlines for applications. While Thayer grants are usually limited to $1000, larger requests may be considered if circumstances merit it. Please click here for a Thayer application. |
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