THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.
Griffin-Spalding Partners in Education &
the Super-Grant Opportunity
The Three New R’s – Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships
November 2008

The Griffin Spalding Education Foundation and Partners in Education are pleased to offer a special super-grant opportunity for your school.

In December, Partners in Education will award additional grant(s) with a new, higher limit of up to $2,000! This means that multiple grants of smaller amounts, or one large grant of $2000, will be awarded. The number of grants funded depends on the number of applications received and the financial requests.

Timeline:
1. Friday, December 12, 2008 - Applications for this “super-grant” opportunity are due.
2. Noon, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - Grant proposals will be ready for committee members to pick up.
3. Friday, January 9, 2008 - Grant committee meets to select finalists.
4. Monday, January 12, 2008 – Grant finalists notified. Finalists will be asked to participate in a short interview about their project plans.
5. January 14 – 15, 2009 – Grant finalists interviewed about their grant application.
6. Monday, January 20, 2009 – Announce grant winner & send check

*** When the project is completed the winner will make a presentation to the Partners in Education Board of Directors at one of their regular meetings.

Requirements

Grant goal: Fund innovative projects that demonstrate rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Who can apply?
Any GSCS certified staff, including teachers, media specialists, counselors, graduation coaches, assistant principals, and principals. Grant applications may be submitted by individuals or groups. To reach more students and to have a greater impact on learning, collaborations of teachers are encouraged to apply. 

At minimum, the grant proposal must address 2 of the 3:

• Rigor. At minimum, grant applications must seek to the lesson-appropriate Georgia Performance Standards. Along with standards-based learning, there must be differentiated instruction for all learning levels in the classroom. Additionally, the project should address all components of standards-based learning (i.e. formative and summative assessments, differentiated instruction, and performance feedback).
• Relevance. This project must contain real-life applications.
• Relationships. The project utilizes social and/or emotional initiatives to help students internalize the value of education and realize the importance of establishing good work ethics.

Applications will also be judged on:

• Project innovation. The board of directors wants to see a project that is instructionally based, yet innovative. The proposal may provide opportunities for students to be exposed to human and/or physical resources not already available.
• Cost effectiveness. Does the amount of money spent on the proposed project make sense?
• Please do not submit a grant or mini-grant submitted previously.

Evaluation plan

• The submitted proposal must include a comprehensive evaluation plan. Depending on the nature of the proposal, this plan may include qualitative and/or quantitative measures. Measurable goals must be stated in the project with a clearly defined process for assessing whether or not these goals have been met.

Finalists:

• If selected as finalists, all applicants will be interviewed about their project proposal

Recipients:

• Give a presentation to the Partners in Education Board of Directors on the project once it is completed, and

• The recipient may be asked to make a presentation to the Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education.

Timeline:

• Applications for this “super-grant” opportunity are due December 12, 2008.
• The grant review committee for Partners in Education will evaluate the submitted grants. Finalists will be selected, and those finalists will be asked to participate in a short interview about their project plans.
• The grant recipient(s) will be announced at the start of the second semester.
• Projects are to be completed by the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

Griffin-Spalding County School System Goals
Goal 1: All students will reach high standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading, language arts, and mathematics.
Goal 2: All limited English proficient students will become proficient in English and reach high academic standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading, language arts, and mathematics.
Goal 3: All students will be taught by highly qualified teachers.
Goal 4: All students will be educated in learning environments that are safe, drug-free, and conducive to learning. Goal 5: All students will graduate from high school.