Best Evidence Encyclopedia

About the Best Evidence Encyclopedia

The Best Evidence Encyclopedia is a free web site created by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (CDDRE) under funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. It is intended to give educators and researchers fair and useful information about the strength of the evidence supporting a variety of programs available for students in grades K-12.

To explore more about what works in K-12 education, click the link below.  You can also register to get updates and newsletters!

http://www.bestevidence.org/index.cfm 

Look for future blogs to highlight some of the newsletter points.

Buzzwords in Elementary Education

Below is a post from education-portal.com  Do you know what all these buzzwords really mean?  Read on to find out!

Mar 15, 2011

Teachers and administrators often make use of language and definitions that are unique to their profession. Describing everything from classroom methods to reform efforts, this jargon can confuse people outside of the field. Here are some buzzwords in common use today within elementary education.

By Douglas Fehlen

Balanced literacy

Balanced literacy is an instructional framework designed to develop students' reading and writing skills. It is designed to engage learners at appropriate skill levels through the use of various individual and group literacy activities.

Blue Ribbon School

The U.S. Department of Education uses this designation to identify schools that 'are either high performing or have improved student achievement to high levels, especially among disadvantaged students.'

Charter school

Charter schools have played a prominent role in efforts to reform the U.S. public education system. These publicly funded schools are operated independently of regional school boards and often employ a unique pedagogical model.

Differentiating instruction

This education methodology analyzes students' interests, learning styles and academic strengths to determine appropriate lesson content, process and products. Flexible grouping is often used to help meet individual learning needs.

hands-on learning

Hands-on learning incorporates lessons that allow students to learn by doing. These activities often incorporate manipulable objects to reinforce abstract concepts while developing learners' critical thinking skills.

Multisensory instruction

Multisensory instruction incorporates two or more sensory modalities (such as auditory, visual, kinesthetic and tactile). This form of teaching can be especially important for students affected by learning disabilities.

No Child Left Behind

This controversial law, now a decade old, carries dramatic influence on public education. The accountability legislation calls for standards-based education reform in which schools use research-based materials and methods to improve student achievement and standardized testing to measure schools' success.

Race to the Top Fund

This program of the U.S. Department of Education provides competitive grants to states and school districts 'leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform.'

Response to intervention (RTI)

This education strategy emphasizes using continual learner assessment to offer data-driven instruction. Students struggling with content are provided with increasingly intensive academic interventions designed to improve their performance.

Scaffolding

When students are learning about new concepts, they often require supports to aid their comprehension. Scaffolding is the idea of providing visuals, modeling knowledge or increasing motivation to help learners understand material.

Whole child education

This philosophy of education contends that children's cognitive growth is but one aspect of their development schools should be concerned with. It demands greater emphasis on ensuring proper social and emotional development in learners.

Research and Resources Connection-- Issue II

Research and Resources Connection

Have you visited the blog yet?  All the information you receive via e-mail is archived on this blog. researchandresourcesconnection.blogspot.com

FEATURED FOUNDATIONS: 

1.       The Kauffman Foundation

Funds: Youth Entrepreneurship – Programs that are designed to keep the entrepreneurial flame alive in boys and girls, whose inventiveness and drive can actually teach us something about being entrepreneurs are supported.  STEM programs aim to create a pipeline of talent that is prepared to take the lead in the global economy make the great discoveries that will change the world.  New Teaching and School Models-school programs that take the most effective approaches to helping children improve their academic achievement. Higher Education- Helping universities become more entrepreneurial—not only in what they teach and how they teach it, but in how they operate—is at the heart of the Kauffman Foundation. Educational Research and Policy- This foundation looks for research studies that feature very rigorous designs and put innovative ideas to the test.

Deadline: Rolling     

Award Range: $1,000-$200,000         

For more information go to http://www.kauffman.org/about-foundation/funding-guidelines.aspx

2.       Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Funds: Civil society- Empowering people and nonprofits to take collective action that promotes and defends democratic values.  Environment-Programs that acknowledge effective stewardship of the Earth requires both changes in behavior and new ways of thinking. It requires that environmental considerations be factored into personal and institutional decision making.  Pathways out of poverty- Programming that improves community education, expands economic opportunities, and builds organized communities received funding support.

Deadline: Varies

Award Range: $5,000-$300,000

For more information visit http://www.mott.org/grantseeker.aspx

FEATURED WEBSITE: Foundation Center

Everything you wanted to know and more!   This site features a searchable foundation directory and under the “gain knowledge” tab you will find Foundations for Education Excellence.

http://www.foundationcenter.org/

BUZZWORDS OF SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICATIONS: Do you know what all of these words or phrases mean? Balanced Literacy, Blue Ribbon School, Multisensory Instruction, RTT, and RTI.  Check out the blog for more details!

NEXT EDITION: Finding funding for STEM projects

Grant Writing Tips

Writing grant proposals to get money to make your project happen is becoming more and more common. Here are tips and resources for writing your first grant!

1. Find out which foundations have given grants in your region similar to your planned proposal! Talk to those who got funded and ask for advice and ideally copies of their successful grants.
   
   
2. Read the current guidelines for those foundations on what they will fund and when the grants are due. If a foundation says they won’t fund equipment, don’t ask them for equipment (unless it’s a necessary component of the part of the grant they said they’d fund!) For example: A programmatic grant could ask for $50,000 in support equipment, but would not be considered if they called themselves a technology project. Semantics do matter a great deal!
   
   If they say they’ll fund up to $15,000, don’t ask them for $50,000. Foundations often shift their focus, and timing can be very important. Watch for timing-sensitive opportunities. Do your homework! Grant reviewers appreciate those who paid attention to their RFP’s (Requests for Proposals.) Too few do!
   
   
3. Collect sample successful grants to use as boilerplate models. Many foundations will send you, on request, proposals from past funded projects, or at least will give you the addresses of past grant recipients, so you can ask them directly for copies of successful proposals. The more good proposals you read, the more you’ll understand how clear writing and following guidelines leads to funding.
   
   
4. Use the same terms in your proposal that the foundation used to describe what they want to fund. Buzz phrases push important buttons. If they tell you what to tell them: listen, and be convincing as to how your project dovetails with their posted guidelines. If an RFP says they don’t fund technology grants, don’t use the word technology. Find other words to express your project, ideally taken directly from the RFP guidelines.
   
   
5. Get to know individuals who have worked with the foundations to which you’re applying. Talk to foundation personnel as much as is politely possible. Typically, little suggestions, and hints, you’ll pick up, even from a phone conversation, will make major differences in the final form and focus of your proposal. The more personal contacts you make, the better for you. Foundations appreciate those who take the time to gather all the facts, and they might even recognize your name when your proposal comes up for review. Pay careful attention on what to emphasize and what to tone down.
   
   
6. Less is More! Reviewing stacks of proposals is a difficult job. Grant reviewers quickly learn to scan text, particularly proposal abstracts, in an attempt to get a quick overview of exactly what you expect to do, with whom, when, how, and toward what measurable outcome. If you are short and to the point, and you’ve answered the key questions, your grant will be viewed as comprehensible and fundable. If you bog down the reviewer with too much ambling detail they’ll have a hard time understanding your proposal and it is likely to end up in the "NO" pile. Good proposals are easy to understand.
   
   
7. A catchy name, like "Reach for the Sky" which is also descriptive of the project, can make a big difference. First impressions and a memorable theme and name are important! Remember they will want to promote your project proudly as one of their great projects.
   
   
8. Good writing should be easy to read, understand, and should present your ideas in an exciting, yet specific manner. The abstract of your proposal is the single most important paragraph of your proposal. You should know exactly what you’re planning to do with their money, and express it in elegant simplicity. If the grant reviewer has a good idea of the direction of your proposal from reading the abstract, it creates an important first impression that you do indeed know what you want accomplish, with whom, at what cost, and specifically how.
   
   In reading an exciting, well-written proposal, one idea follows naturally to the next. One disjointed or boring sentence can kill the mounting enthusiasm of a tired grant reader. Maintain a tempo of easy to understand sentences that build on one another in a crescendo fashion.
   
   
9. Show in your proposal that you’re aware of who has done similar projects, and that you’ve partnered with appropriate entities to assure your project will have enough support to make it through to completion. Big Sky Telegraph, BST, (my former 10-year project) has helped many people get grants because it was widely known we’d been around long enough that most funders assume we won’t disappear overnight. Affiliating with BST gave the impression that the grantees will have technical telecommunications support to assure their grant’s success.
   
   
10. Sustainability is a big issue. Too many grant projects disappear after the funding is gone. How can you assure ongoing benefits once the funding runs out is one of the biggest questions in the
    mind of the grant reviewer.
    

11. Measurable outcomes. Once the grant is over, exactly what was produced, how will it be disseminated and exactly how many people will have benefited? How do you intend to measure tangible outcomes to prove the projected benefit actually occurred?
    
    
12. In the passion of writing a grant it is easy to get too ambitious. A major red flag for grant reviewers is the indication you’ve planned to accomplish more than your budget makes realistically attainable. It is better to limit your proposal to less, more assuredly attainable goals, than to promise more than you can deliver. Most projects find they badly underestimated funding for staff and particularly technology support. Be realistic and conservative.
    
    
13. Tie yourself to a major regional, or national, issue and position your proposal as a model to be replicated once you’ve proved your idea works. Make it clear you’re not just benefiting ten people in Two-Dot, Montana, but that you’re solving a problem shared by all rural schools and are creating a replicable national model. A specific strategy for broadly sharing your solution should be specifically part of your proposal plan.
    
    
14. Choose your partners wisely. The more partners you have to deal with, the harder it is to keep everyone happy, particularly where control of large sums of money is the issue. If you plan to be working with your grant partners for years, you’d better be sure you know who you can trust and work with. Many projects end up with internal in-fighting that takes the fun out of getting funded. Money changes friendships. Tread cautiously.
    
    Consider whom you may have to work with if you get funded and whether you should include them for a share of the funding to avoid future resistance to your project. Grant reviewers look closely to see who is flying solo, and who works well with the other girls and boys. The better partners you have, the safer their money is when invested in your project.
    
    
15. Even if your first grant-writing effort doesn’t get funded, the planning and writing process still allows you to resubmit your idea elsewhere. Often project partners get so committed to a good idea, even if funding isn’t won, that the means for moving forward on a project can still be a possibility. Boilerplate paragraphs from old grants are typically recycled. Seasoned grantwriters are skilled recyclers, reusing paragraphs from successful grants.
    
    
16. Make it fun! If you get funded, you’d better enjoy working hard to make your dream happen. Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it! Once a grant ends, what will you have built for the future? Will you be right back where you started having to write another grant? Plan accordingly.
    
    
17. Many web sites exist to support grant-writers, even specifically educational technology grant-writers. Knowing this, find them and use them! Search the Web for "educational technology grants" and/or "grant-writing." Below are a sampling of the best grant-writing and funding sources web sites.
    
    
18. Evaluations are the means by which you prove your success at the end of the grant period and are often the key to winning your next grant. Be tangible and realistic in what you set out to achieve, and in how you’ll know whether you’ve achieved it after the money is spent.
    
    
19. While it is considered to be inappropriate to submit the same grant to multiple funders at the same time, one option is to change the grant slightly so multiple funded grants would actually dovetail together instead of creating duplication.

Courtesy of:  http://lone-eagles.com/granthelp.htm 

Research and Resources Connection--Issue I

FEATURED LISTSERVES: Don’t already receive announcements directly to your email inbox?

 

Consider registering for these listserves so you receive up to the minute announcements and awards as soon as they are available!

1.      Institute of Education Sciences Newsflash: http://ies.ed.gov/newsflash/
National coverage on education research, evaluation, statistics and special education.

2.      US Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oeselistserv.html
Latest news on grant program and opportunities, legislative and policy changes along with K-12 publications, studies and resources.

3.      Grants.Gov: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription.jsp
Receive notices of grant opportunities, critical issues and time-sensitive updates.

4.       Maryland Education Bulletin: email bzillig@msde.state.md.us with subscribe in subject
MSDE latest information, news releases, newsletters, publications, and videos on departmental initiatives.

FEATURED WEBSITE: What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)

 

Programs, products, practices and policies- Oh my! WWC is a key resource on the latest effective educational interventions regarding 1) student behavior, 2) teacher and leader effectiveness, 3) literacy, 4) math, 5) special needs, and 6) career readiness and college access. Use the WWC to stay informed of the latest research findings and publications OR aid novice educators and SOE students in becoming savvy consumers of programs being explored in their schools and build their evaluation capacity. 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

 

BUZZWORDS OF SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICATIONS: Read, Reread, and Repeat. Visit the blog for more!

 

NEXT EDITION: Inside SOE Development and Top Education Foundations

Introduction to the Research and Resources Connection

Below is the message that was sent out the first week in November.  This blog will archive all of the information that is sent out so it can be used as on going reference; less searching in your email to find things!

 

Dear Faculty,

We are pleased to launch a bi-weekly email called Research and Resources Connection to assist with School of Education grant proposal identification and increase research initiatives. Starting in November, we will provide information on foundation resources, upcoming RFPs, a grant database, and helpful tips about applying for grants and organizing information.

By combining the myriad of philanthropic and Research and Development opportunities in a concise and consistent format, we hope to support your research efforts and become more knowledgeable about the areas of expertise in which all of you excel and the distinctive funding initiatives that are available for our competitive submission. We are also planning to provide this information via a blog to capture and catalog this series as an ongoing reference tool for faculty.

As a new service within the School of Education, your feedback and input on what you are finding most helpful or how we can assist you further would be appreciated.

More to come next week,

Michele Ewing
Associate Dean
Development and Alumni Relations
and
Amanda Eversley
Graduate Research Assistant