The 2012-2013 Grant Program is open and IFT eagerly awaits applications from CTA members and chapters for projects and programs that demonstrate the efficacy of the strength-based, teacher driven approach to school change. Individual grants up to $5,000 and Chapter grants up to $20,000 are available for next school year. The deadline to submit a grant application is April 30, 2012.
Applications will be reviewed in May by the IFT Grant Selection Committee, composed of teachers from around the state. Awards will be announced in June. In the fall (and again in the spring), members of the Grant Selection Committee will join IFT staff to visit each project location and to meet with team members to discover their learnings.
Project grants are awarded directly to CTA members, although the funds are administered by their local Associations in order to avoid any tax liability to grant recipients.
The IFT Grant Program emphasizes the importance of teachers in school change from a positive, strength-based perspective. Grant proposals are judged based on a strength-based matrix that includes the following seven factors:
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Factor One: Future Oriented - Students have a dramatic, positive image of the future.
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Factor Two: Work Oriented - Work is valued, purposeful, and relevant to students.
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Factor Three: Student Centered - Emphasis is placed on learning over teaching.
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Factor Four: School Family Relations - Parents as strong partners in the teaching and learning process are encouraged to be involved in their children’s education.
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Factor Five: School-Wide Relations - All school stakeholders are responsible for the education of each student.
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Factor Six: Student Relations - Students view other students as supportive and interested in their well-being.
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Factor Seven: Results Oriented - Students understand strength-based thinking increases capacity and resilience to achieve goals.
The CTA IFT Grant Program is for CTA members, teacher teams, and CTA local Chapters. Below are important links for the CTA IFT Grant Program.
- General Grant Information
- Strength-Based Primer
- Frequenly Asked Questions
- Strength-Based Matrix
- 2011-12 Educator Grants
- 2011-12 Chapter Grants
- Grant Online Application (You will be directed to an external site- "CyberGrants")
