A great deal of excellent work is happening in technology-driven learning environments benefitting the educators and schools running these programs as much as their students. But creating and implementing digital learning programs often require funds beyond what a school or district is able to allocate and finding money outside of the operating budget is not always easy.
For situations where educators lack the funds to run a program they know will make a difference for their students, our unique Innovative Educator Prize (IEP) offers financial support for teachers and schools utilizing digital learning to overcome achievement gaps, drive engagement, and personalize learning for their students.
For IEP recipients, it’s been an emotional experience to witness how much their students have benefitted as a result of the blended and online learning programs they were able to put in place. Many have shared a great sense of pride and excitement as they’ve watched their students learn and grow.
“Our goal is to connect our students with the world by experiencing it and we believe that technology is one of the most powerful tools that we can use to achieve that goal.”
— Kathleen Wong, McDonald International School, Seattle WA
Through IEP, we are able to capture some of the powerful best practices and share these strategies with the community at large. In keeping the voices and experiences of the educators in the foreground of conversations about system-wide changes to educational policies and practice, we can help ensure decisions are well-informed and aligned to a collective vision for individual student success.
THE APPLICATION PORTAL IS NOW CLOSED.
If you'd like to get notified when we start accepting submissions for our 2021 Innovative Educator Prizes, please join the list here:
Stories from previous IEP winners
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Application Process & Timeline
THE APPLICATION PORTAL IS NOW CLOSED.
Get notified when we start accepting submissions for our 2021 Innovative Educator Prizes:
We partner with Scholarship America who manages the application process. Applicants must meet the program’s eligibility requirements and submit the appropriate documents by the deadline. Proposals are accepted for 6-8 weeks in the spring (March-May). The application review takes one month (May-June) and grant recipients are notified by Scholarship America in mid-July once the FoS board approves the recipient list.
AWARD
We accept 150 applications with the potential to award up to 20 one-time grants of up to $10,000 to winning proposals. All grants will be made payable to the applicant’s school and may be used for technology, professional development, curriculum, and related materials. Awarded projects will be documented and their results and experience will be shared with education leaders working to scale new opportunities for schools and students.
ELIGIBILITY
IEP is designed to recognize and reward teachers and counselors who have demonstrated excellence in education in targeted areas in the blended and online setting. We seek to fund programs that support our mission and vision exemplifying how the use of technology is a catalyst for innovation in the classroom.
The IEP does not exclusively fund requests for ‘technology in the classroom’, unless the proposal has an extremely compelling implementation plan associated with it.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Educational innovators are required to submit proposals about what they have done in the field to make a difference with their students and in their classrooms and their plans for utilizing different mediums and modes of digital tools. Per the FoS Board, the IEP gives preferential consideration for proposals that seek to provide personalized learning support in the following areas:
Reading strategies
Math interventions
ELL/ELA
Special Education