Running Head: Makerspace Funding Paper 1

Makerspace
Stephanie Galczynski
David Maimone
Carl Peitz
Loyola University
ET 680
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Introduction Description

In the past, students would go to their school library to gather resources for papers and

projects. Presently, students do not visit libraries just for research but they come to create,

invent, and learn. These libraries have been termed “Makerspaces”, and overall can cost the

school large amounts of money due to the resources needed to create to space. Makerspaces do

not only include books but include computers, software, printers (inkjet and 3-d), art supplies,

and small electronic devices such as video recorders. To change our library into a Makerspace

we would need these resources. Students that have the ability to use these resources in a

Makerspace can now gather to create, invent, and further their learning.

Grant 1: Computers for Learning

Computers for Learning gives classrooms computers and facilitates the transferring of

computers from government agencies and the private sector to schools and educational

nonprofits. In order to be eligible to receive computers, a school must be kindergarten through

12th public, private, homeschool, or parochial school.

Following Executive Order (EO) 12999, "Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity

for All Children in the Next Century", the grant supplies the highest preference to schools and

nonprofit organizations, including community-based educational organizations, computers and

related equipment to meet their needs. The program makes technology an integral part of

classrooms, connecting users to larger networks, providing teachers with the professional

development they need to infuse the technology effectively, and encourage the use of innovative

educational software.
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Schools and educational nonprofit organizations are eligible if located in the United

States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or

the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A school is eligible to participate if it is a

public, private, or parochial school serving some type of pre-kindergarten through grade 12

population, while day care centers must provide a state approved preschool curriculum in order

to participate. An educational nonprofit organization must meet four criteria in order to

participate. First, it must support some portion of the pre-kindergarten through grade 12

population. Second, it must give evidence of its nonprofit status by being tax exempt. Third, it

must operate primarily for the purpose of education and fourth, it must be approved, accredited,

or licensed.

The grant is restricted on spending money on shipping and handling for the

computers. Generally the school must pay for transporting the hardware unless there is a special

legislative authority given to cover the cost. If the school does not take possession of the

computers in a timely manner, the governmental agency who owns the merchandise may

withdraw their offer.

The grant also helps identify which schools or nonprofit organization qualify for the

computers. Federal agencies report their excess computer equipment to GSAXcess®.

Educational institutions then register on GSAXcess® to search and request computers they need

through use of a virtual shopping cart and checkout process. GSAXcess® also provides a screen

that allows the reporting activity to view all of the schools and educational nonprofits that have

requested their excess computers immediately after the request is made. This screen is used by

the reporting activity to distribute and transfer the excess computers in the system to the

requesting educational organization.

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Emily Butler, a teacher at Patterson High School in Baltimore, Maryland, received the

grant after applying on their website. Her success story shows how the Computers For Learning

grant effectively began to close their digital divide by supplying computers and internet access to

all classrooms. Computers were scarce in her school. They were reserved for administrators and

a small group of teachers. The computer lab was almost nonexistent with several computers

broken and some not being able to be used at all. The grant gave her school 252 Pentium 3

computers, 54 monitors, and 32 printers. They were able to update computer labs and the

student and teacher interaction with computers and the internet at Patterson HS now occurs

daily. She stated it only cost her five minutes of her time to post the necessary information on the

Computers for Learning website.

Another success story supports the vision of Phyllis Clark and her administrative staff

from Carver Vocational-Technical High School. Their donation of computers created a

computer lab in the library and supplied each teacher with computer hardware for their

classrooms. The donation goes a long way in fulfilling their needs and helping to improve

academic achievement for their students.

There are no identified grant restrictions on how much one can request. The foundation

evaluates and assigns grants based on school needs. One pro which was mentioned in one of the

success stories, is that it only takes a few minutes to register your school. When participants see

how easy the registration process is, they are encouraged to participate since it only requires a

few minutes of their time. Technology leaders can easily take the time to evaluate and register

their school. Another pro is the verbiage on the site is reader-friendly. The reader is not bogged

down by fine print and excessive jargon. It is well organized and supplies thoughtful passages

and links to help find information and guide the user. Computers For Learning shows a way to
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help close the digital divide. Its support in supplying schools with computers is one of the first

steps schools need to take in order to enhance learning environments and support the building of

student networks.

Our school would benefit from this grant by creating more computer labs and enhance

makerspaces. The spaces would allow students to gain immediate access to the internet in order

to research and develop projects. Many of our devices do not work and having a reliable

hardware option would be a valuable solution for student work and teachers who create lessons

where each students needs an individual computer. Administration would also support the use of

the grant since having hardware donated rather than purchased would be a positive for the budget

and PTA funds.

Link to grant with all materials and application-

https://computersforlearning.gov/htm/hp_aboutprogram.htm

Grant 2: Educators of America

The Educators of America Grants are awarded to schools to improve their technology

tools that will assist in better student achievement. The purpose of this grant is not to award

money, but to actually purchase the technology tools that a school would need to help students

be successful. According to their website, they state, “Outfitting a school or classroom with the

correct technological resource can further the reach of teachers, enhance the skills of students,

and create endless opportunities of education methods. Using web-connected devices, electronic

whiteboards, tablets, and STEM Labs are a much better use of resources than new textbooks due

to their engagement abilities and high levels of usability. Children in Schools today are far better

equipped with knowledge of technological and internet-equipped devices than ever before. Why
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inhibit these skills when it can be used in conjunction with educational technology to help

students prepare themselves for the future?” (Educators and Grant Applicants, 2018).

According to the website they award grants quarterly (January, April, July, and

October). This is beneficial because the grant application can certainly be completed at any time

during the year. There really are no eligibility requirements other than the grant has to be used

for a school and it must be used on technology specifically to improve student

achievement. There was also no limit on the amount that could be requested. The website and

the application don’t indicate a maximum amount. What they do indicate is that the grant needs

to be used to outfit a school with specific technology.

In trying to get a makerspace created and supplied, our school could use this grant

specifically to purchase technology to be used in that setting. Specifically, this grant could be

used to purchase ipads for student use in the makerspace. The makerspace will be designed for

students to create and collaborate with both high and low tech tools. We believe the ipads will

give students the opportunity to design, communicate, and create in a high tech way. These

devices will be a part of the makerspace and will be available to all students in the school. Right

now, the school has laptop computers that teachers can sign out for classroom use. There are no

ipads in the building. We believe that the ipads will give students another tool to use to create

projects and improve their ability to use technology in a creative and innovative way. In

addition, students can use the ipads for audio and video production as well as many other

multimedia uses. In addition, students can use these devices to access information on the internet

and communicate with other students and other schools. We believe that students in the 21 st

century need access to multiple technology tools in order to remain competitive. As we move to

create a makerspace, the ipads will give students a high tech option.
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The pros of applying for this grant include the rolling deadline. This allows us to apply at

any point during the school year. It also allows our school to apply multiple times if we are not

initially awarded the grant. That way it is still possible to use the grant during the current school

year. In addition, while we are seeking ipads, the grant really can be used for any technology that

would benefit our school and student achievement. It allows for flexibility. The application is

very simple to complete. While it does require a thorough explanation of how the funds will be

used and how student achievement will be measured, the application itself doesn’t present a

barrier.

One of the cons to this grant is the lack of details in the amounts. When applying for a

grant it is difficult to determine if what you are asking for is too much or too little. This may

require specific email follow up with the grant administrators. In addition, this grant appears to

require that the school have a detailed plan on not only how the technology will be used (this is

standard for most grants), but also “what long term strategy will be employed to ultimately

increase student achievement and technology integration.” (Educators and Grant Applicants,

2018). This will require the school to create a long-term action plan on how these devices can be

specifically tied to student achievement, including what measures will be used to show the

effects of the ipads on achievement. This can be difficult as the plan is to use the ipads as part of

a makerspace.

I believe this is a grant that our school should apply for. In our plans to create a viable

makerspace for our students to create, collaborate, and communicate using both low and high

tech tools, this grant can help. Students will continue to need access to multiple technologies in

schools and in life if they are to meet with success. In addition, we believe that the addition of

the ipads will foster many 21 century skills including multimedia production.
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Link to grant-Educators of America Grant

Link to grant application-EOA Application

Grant 3: Motorola Solutions Foundation

Motorola Solutions Foundation helps communities nearby Motorola Solutions

offices. The idea is to help create partnerships between the Motorola Solutions Company and the

public. They focus on funding 4 areas: public safety, disaster relief, employee volunteerism, and

Education with a focus in engineering and information technology. Those four areas are very

broad but Motorola mentions their three key focus areas are: STEM Education, public safety

education, and blended public safety and technology & engineering education

programs. Motorola Solutions Foundation wants to overall reach these areas to set up future

employees within the office sites. When companies give back to communities it helps teach the

future workers for their companies or other companies in the area. Most people stick around

where they grew up and can work at a company if they had the tools to learn more while growing

up.

The deadlines for this grant are straight forward. In the year you are applying for you

need to fill out an inquiry application in order to get approval to apply for the grant. This is a

process that sorts of who is able to apply for the grant instead of the company sorting through the

long applications and finding out that person wasn’t eligible. The inquiry and application are

online and easy to fill out. You will hear from the company Mid-March if you can apply for the

formal application. The deadline for the formal application is Mid-April. If you apply before the

deadline you should hear if you received the grant by late-July. This is great timing for schools

because whoever receives it can plan on how they will set up their spending for the next school
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year. Usually schools or teachers do not try new initiatives until the beginning of the next school

year.

There are very few requirements for eligibility. The first thing you have to be eligible for

is you have to be within a certain surrounding area near a Motorola Solutions office. It is not

specific to a mileage just mentions you can be within the Metropolitan area or outside of the

Metropolitan area. I mentioned before this company focuses on their communities surrounding

their offices so it wouldn’t make sense to apply if you aren’t near one of their offices. The

foundation supports first responders, veterans, professional and volunteer fire personnel, disaster

response professionals, and educators. For the area of public safety, Motorola wants to make

their communities safer by providing the resources to do so. Disaster relief support isn’t just for

the responders but also support the victims who need help during those times of disasters. If you

are an employee they provide you with a matching program, meaning if you donate they match

what you donate. Lastly in Education, their focus is to support programs in STEM to prepare our

next generation of innovators. These focus areas are also their eligibility requests as they work

hand in hand.

The Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant does not specify too much information on what

the grant has to be spent on but encourages partnerships between the company and

recipients. Grant recipients must be able to show how their program provided measurable

change, meaning the grant made an impact after receiving. If you applied for a specific reason I

could imagine they expect for you to fulfill that task. For our school, we will be focusing on

engaging students in innovation, creation, further their learning by creating a Makerspace with

all of the tools they need to accomplish these tasks. As long as it is impacting STEM and

encouraging invention through the use of hands on technology the applicant in education is
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eligible. The total award amounts to a maximum of 50,000. They disperse the grant depending

on the specific need of the applicant. The Motorola Solutions Foundation awarded over 9 Million

dollars in grants last year which supported more than 3 million students.

Our mission is to create a fully working Makerspace as mentioned in the initial

description in the beginning of the paper. This grant will give us an opportunity to fill the

Makerspace with things students can engage in to innovate. Students only get to create things in

certain subjects but can have the opportunity to use this space to create for any area they choose

which also gives every student choice when creating projects for subjects of their

choice. Another reason we would like to apply for this grant would be to improve our STEM

relations within the school. Across STEM subject areas there isn’t a lesson that we all collaborate

and teach. With this grant we can work together to create or group certain lessons to reach across

subject areas that will then show students a connection among subjects that they usually don’t

see. The Makerspace outfitted with certain software, hardware, supplies can heighten the STEM

collaboration by focusing on the science and math background but then using the Makerspace to

build, test, and analyze their designs. Students will get the hands on approach that will help add

to many other 21 century skills for their future.

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By applying for this grant our school will gain many pros but also this grant has a few

cons. One of the pros I believe that is important for our implementation of technology tools is

the amount the grant issues. Technology is expensive and especially when we are trying to buy a

class set of tools for students to use, $50,000 if given the full amount helps purchase all of these

items or at least is a start. The Motorola Solutions Foundation prioritizes middle and high

schools which is a plus for our school since we fit into that category. A con would be we may be

too far out of Baltimore City to be considered for the grant but will not know until we inquiry
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apply next year. The company also is looking to issue grants into 3 areas within communities so

the window of opportunity may not shine in our area due to competing areas such as first

responders, fire personnel, disaster relief, or employees that directly work at Motorola Solutions

Company.

Overall this grant would fulfill our need for supplies to create our makerspace. It would

not be hard to show growth after students have begun to innovate, create, and further their own

learning from using the Makerspace by formative or summative assessment.

Link to grant with all materials and application-

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/about-

us/cr/2018_motorola_solutions_foundation_grant_program_priorities.pdf

Grant 4: Braitmayer Foundation

The Braitmayer Foundation awards grants up to $35,000 to K-12 and higher educational

systems for proposals utilizing innovative practices throughout the United States. In order to be

eligible, a school must be located in the United States and provide K-12 or higher educational

curricula. The grant program, located in Marion, MA, aims to support innovative programs to

enhance the quality of education at the pre-collegiate level. This year's program is emphasizing

two key areas: "curricular and school reform initiatives" and "preparation of and professional

development opportunities for teachers, particularly those which encourage people of high ability

and diverse background to enter and remain in K-12 teaching." This emphasizes the SAMR

model of innovative analysis. The grant encourages the effective use of technology, but should

also allow teachers and staff the ability to identify and evaluate their current situation.
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Collaboration and development of practices is key to moving forward and enhancing classroom

lessons.

The deadline for letters of inquiry was March 15 at midnight. The grant also requires site

visits. These visits will occur between October 2018 and January 2019. Notices are sent to each

site by March 15, 2019. The foundation does not specify the number of awards to be granted, but

over the past three years, the awards have been between three and five. Over the past few years,

recipients have been K-12 schools, colleges and universities, individual academic programs

within schools or districts, organizations that support extracurricular activities and a variety of

nonprofit organizations. The grant registration process can be accessed through their website or

an inquirer can phone at (410) 480-2799.

The Braitmayer Foundation restricts spending grant money to individuals, nor may a site

have multi-year grants, nor grants for general operating, endowment purposes, or building

programs. One con is the grant cannot be awarded to daycares or pre-kindergarten even if they

have educational programs. A few pros is the application process is step by step with a written

guideline for how to register. It also has several contact numbers to offer support and/or answer

questions. Administration or a technology leader could easily contact someone from the

foundation if they had questions or concerns. Administration would also benefit from knowing

the grant awards up to $35,000. Principals are sometimes restricted to how much money they

can spend and what they can spend it on. This grant allows leaders to diversify funds and identify

additional school needs.

Some of last year’s grant recipients have shared their agendas and uses for the funds on

the foundation’s website. KQED, a school in California has created a series of self-paced and
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synchronous online professional learning courses that will be free to ready to access by educators

in order to help them learn and practice the digital media literacy skills and strategies they need

to create more effective learning environments. The Urban College of Boston applied in order to

support the high school to teacher dual enrollment program which is a career-focused study in

high school that leads to an early-career certificate and accelerates students’ completion of an

Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Additionally, the Project H mission in

Oakland, California received a grant to support Studio H, a rigorous and nationally recognized

design/build academic program for high school students. It applies core subject learning to teach

fundamental and creative skill related to industry-relevant design, construction, community

development, and service through the use of public architecture.

Receiving this grant at our school would meet the need of providing teachers with

professional development when it comes to implementing technology in the classroom. Many

teachers have remained stagnant and resistant to the infusion of technology, but with further

reinforcement and specific support, teachers can see how the implementation of technology

creates a more collaborative and hands-on space, while supporting an authentic learning

environment. Creating and applying science and math in makerspaces to create robotic projects

and promote content and collaborative skills applies to real-life objectives and teamwork.

Additionally, being able to Skype with students in other countries, for example, gives students a

more meaningful relationship with learning about varied cultures and social networks. Overall

this grant supports innovative programs designed to enhance the quality of education and

promote the growth of diverse learners.

Link to grant with all materials and application-

https://thejournal.com/newsletters/k12-grant-alert/2018/03/20180312.aspx
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http://www.braitmayerfoundation.org/

Grant 5: Maryland Society for Educational Technology

The Maryland Society for Educational Technology offers grants to educators who are

members and focus on effective use of technology in teaching. MSET originated around 1984

and meet to share information and discuss technology programs around the state of Maryland.

Their purpose is to promote the improvement of teaching through effective computer education

program development, promote integration of computer usage, and to promote excellence in

technology in the schools of Maryland.

Each year MSET offers grants that have to be written meeting 9 different criteria and are

judged and scored in order to achieve the grant. Some of these criteria include: description of the

proposal, goals and objectives, itemized list of needs, assessment of growth, standards it will

meet, and a timeline. The description of the proposal will be published if the grant is selected

and shouldn’t be longer than 75 words. The itemized list needs to include the products to be

purchased, model numbers, quantity, and the cost. This is important to receive the full amount

you are asking for. The MSET would like for the writer to include all standards ranging from

state to national technology standards. Lastly, a timeline that outlines implementation of the

proposal. These 9 things are important for each writer to include when applying for this grant.

The deadline for this grant is early December, this is due to the MSET conference to

which they may ask you to present at. Applicants will be notified by the end of December to

know the status of the grant. Grant recipients will be asked to create an iLearn Maryland course

for other educators to follow after completion. At our school we will want to thoroughly

complete an iLearn course to document how to set up a Makerspace and show improvement due

to the implementation.
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Grant applicants can receive up to 2,000 dollars per grant. To be eligible for this grant

opportunity you have to be a Maryland Society for Educational Technology Member. Your

membership fee has to be paid prior to December 1 of each year and only one grant will be
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accepted per school. This membership includes eligibility for all grants, subscription to a

newsletter, and networking opportunities by attending their conference events. Being a member

and creating the iLearn course will be overall be beneficial to an educator in the state of

Maryland who wants to implement and assess the use of technology in their classroom.

Grant funds may be used for all types of software, apps, hardware, or input devices such

as a mouse or keyboard. Grant funds can’t be used for professional developments, field trips,

consumables, and infrastructure. These funds must be used overall to promote innovative uses of

technology and help gain digital learning skills to improve student achievement.

By applying for this grant our school will gain many pros but also this grant has a few

cons to it to the average grant writer. At first you have to be a member of MSET and pay your

membership fee by the 1 of December of the year you are applying to the grant. This can be a
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challenge for some due to membership fees that have to come from the educator’s pocket who

maybe can’t afford this fee each year. It is beneficial if the member uses all of the benefits that a

member has which isn’t too many as I mentioned above. Torn between a pro or con, I would say

it can be a task to create an iLearn course for other educators to follow. I say this is a pro due to

the benefit others can follow and get the same results but a con because it is another part of

planning added to the educator’s pallet. The opportunities to use this grant for software is a pro

because most 3-d printers need software to create in order to print. These software can be

expensive or require a license which expire each year. Students can’t use the hardware if they do

not have the software necessary to invent, create, or innovate in the Makerspace we are trying to
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build from the bottom up. In the end, these technological tools needed for the Makerspace will

help student achievement by providing alternatives for students. Student choice helps interest

and interest drives completion if the student sees real world application and learning. For

educators, the grant can help them move up the SAMR model. Most teachers when given

technology or a technology tool do not use it correctly within instruction. Teachers can’t advance

without technology and that applies to students also.

MSET wants to give educators an opportunity to encourage student centered learning

through the effective use of technology and believe we will achieve that by creating a

Makerspace in our school. This is why we would apply to this grant to add software and

hardware to the space.

Link to grant - http://www.msetonline.org/grants.html

Grant 6: Verizon Foundation

The Verizon Foundation Grant is a grant that is intended to support projects that promote

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Some of the things this grant can be used

for are after school programs, teacher training, and research on improving learning in STEM

areas through the use of technology. In order to be eligible for this grant, the organization must

have tax-exempt status. That includes schools.

The deadline for this grant has passed for this year. It is October, 2017. However,

Verizon is accepting grant applications for October 2018. There are many eligibility

requirements listed on the website. To begin, the institution applying for the grant must qualify

as tax-exempt. With that, the organization must comply with all laws regarding registration and
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reporting. In addition, the organization must keep books available for independent outside audit

and make the results available to potential contributors.

The award amount for this grant has a minimum of $5000 and a maximum of

$10,000. However, there are a lot of restrictions on spending. Grant funds may not be used to

purchase real property or plant capital purchases. At least 85% of the total grant funds must be

used for direct costs of the project. Indirect costs may be no more than 15% of the total grant

funds. Within those guidelines, information technology infrastructure related purchases such as

computer hardware or software, data, or networks should not comprise more than 20 percent of

the total funds (However, as you’ll see below, this does not apply to schools). There are

additional stipulations specifically for education grants. Schools may not use Foundation money

to purchase computer hardware (computers, laptops, tablets, phones, routers, etc.) or be used to

purchase data or internet service and access. Because the project that we are looking to fund is a

makerspace, we would need to be very discerning on what we intend to use these funds for.

This grant can benefit our project tremendously. While there are many restrictions on

how funds are used, because we intend to create a makerspace, we also have flexibility as to how

we intend to use the money. The grant is specifically designed to support STEM programs in

schools and the makerspace aligns with that perfectly. The benefit to applying for this would be

that our needs line up with the purpose of the grant. Grant funds can be used specifically for

training staff on how to use the new technology in the Makerspace. Additionally, any other funds

can be used to fund a summer STEM program in the new makerspace with the intention to

increase student achievement in the STEM areas.

While there are many benefits to applying for this grant, there are also some

drawbacks. There are many restrictions that apply to the usage of these funds. Unlike some of
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the other grant opportunities which allow for more freedom, this grant requires careful tracking

of the use of the money so that we stay within the required percentages. Within the grant

description it states hardware and software that cannot be purchased with the funds. In a

makerspace, though, there are many hardware items that need to be purchases (both low and high

tech). It is unclear as to whether the funds can be used for things such as 3D printers, cameras, or

low tech items for creation such as Legos, art supplies, or science or math equipment. This is

why we would specifically use these funds on teacher training and to implement a summer

STEM academy instead of trying to haggle over what hardware we can or cannot purchase.

Another drawback to this grant is that it requires that we make our financial books available for

review. While this is not uncommon, it would be another piece that would need to be monitored.

While this grant is more complicated than some of the others, I do believe it is worth

applying for. For one, the grant amount is significant and can go a long way to help develop

STEM skills in students. Also, unlike other grants for this project, because of the specific

restrictions, the funds from this grant will go, not to hardware or physical “things” but to teacher

training and the implementation of a summer STEM program for students. When creating a

makerspace it is easy to get caught up in outfitting the space with technology and items for

student use. What often gets forgotten is the need for professional development for the teachers

to properly utilize the space. One of the big pushes with students today is summer

regression. We believe that developing a summer academy in a “camp” style will not only

increase student engagement in STEM but will help to increase student achievement in those

areas. The funds could be used to help fund this summer program (funding of a summer program

is specifically stated in the grant description). We can use the funds to pay teachers not only to

work but to plan a curriculum that involves hands on STEM activities. The program would be a
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half-day program for two weeks in the summer in which students would work in teams to

collaborate, plan, and create STEM projects that tie to real world issues. At the end of the two

weeks, students will be required to present their project to students, staff, and parents. Teachers

will use STEM standards to guide the instruction. Again, I believe this grant is worth considering

in that the funds can be used, not on hardware, but on developing a program that will utilize the

space and promote student achievement in STEM.

Link to grant-Verizon Foundation Grant

Link to application-Grant Application

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References

“Educators and Grant Applicants,” Educators of America Educational Technology &

PBL Nonprofit, 2018. Retrieved from www.educatorsusa.org/educator-and-technology-

grants.