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Awards, Grants, Scholarships

  • NWEA Educators for Equity

    NWEA Educators for Equity

    Close the Opportunity Gaps That Affect Student Achievement.

    We’re excited to announce the Educators for Equity Grant Program, a new initiative for helping teachers foster student growth for students who face systemic barriers to academic opportunities. This summer, we’ll be awarding grants up to $10,000.00 to educators from eligible schools and non-profits so they can better support their most important student growth programs, and help eliminate inequity in education.

    Click here for more information and to apply!

  • OEA Micro-Credential Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Grants

    OEA Micro-Credential Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Grants

    OEA can support members in creating their own learning community to work on micro-credentials through mini-grants of $200 each. The process is rigorous, so working with a group can help you earn your micro-credential sooner. 

    To find out more about micro-credentials and to learn how to get started, visit www.oregoned.org/micro-credentials

  • Toshiba American Foundation Grants

    Toshiba American Foundation Grants

    WHAT: Classroom Innovators! Toshiba America Foundation accepts applications from teachers who are passionate about making science and mathematics more engaging for their students. Applications must be for project based learning, not for devices.

    WHEN: Grant applications for $5,000 or more must be submitted by May 1; applications for less than $5,000 must be submitted by June 1.

    HOW: To read the guidelines and submit your application, visit http://www.toshiba.com/taf/612.jsp

  • Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grants

    Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grants

    WHAT: This program offers funding of up to $500 and the opportunity to design and implement a creative program for your school or library.

    HOW: To read the guidelines and submit your application, visit http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org...

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Workshops/Institutes

  • OJMCHE Inspiring Change Summit

    OJMCHE Inspiring Change Summit

    April 18, 2021 | 1-3:30pm

    Are you a student in grades 9 – 12 interested in learning more about the tools of social justice and how you can inspire or create change in your community? Come to the OJMCHE’s Student Advisory Board-led “Inspiring Change” virtual summit on April 18th from 1-3:30 pm. The program will kick off with a webinar-style joint panel featuring the local organization Don’t Shoot PDX, and one of the lead organizers of March For Our Lives. Following the panel, participants will interact with members of the Portland Youth Climate Strike in breakout rooms to learn more about different roles people can take on while organizing. Finally, participants wanting a certificate of participation can conclude the program by attending a discussion where they unpack and reflect on what they have learned.

  • OJMCHE Youth Book and Film Circle

    OJMCHE Youth Book and Film Circle

    April 7, 2021 | 5:30-6:30pm

    In an ever-changing country filled with political turmoil, understanding our histories is the only way for us to move forward. The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education’s Student Advisory Board hosts a Youth Book and Film Circle, where students in grades 9 – 12 meet to discuss films and books covering topics related to the museum’s core exhibits and mission.

    For our second meeting, participants will be asked to watch the 2019 film Jojo Rabbit and/or read the book Nightby Elie Wiesel. Jojo Rabbit is a satirical film directed by Taika Waititi about the Hitler Youth and antisemitic propaganda during the Holocaust but is also a story of resistance. Night is a memoir that recounts the author’s experiences as a Jewish victim of the Holocaust who was deported from his hometown of Sighet, Romania and imprisoned at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. We hope to discuss the messages of this book and movie, the histories they portray, and how the accounts they share continue to be relevant today, especially in the face of a present rise in antisemitism.

    Click here for more information and to RSVP!

Opportunities

  • The Lessons of Minidoka: Keeping the Incarceration of Japanese Americans Relevant for Twenty-First Century Teens

    The Lessons of Minidoka: Keeping the Incarceration of Japanese Americans Relevant for Twenty-First Century Teens

    From August 1942 until October 1945, thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated in the Minidoka War Relocation Center, located in a remote area of southern Idaho. Help us ensure that teens understand why this seventy-year-old episode in American history remains starkly relevant today.

    We are working on a series of short documentaries (ranging from 4 minutes to 60 minutes) about the experiences of those incarcerated at Minidoka – and about how their former neighbors and friends responded to their forced removal. To ensure these documentaries reach the widest audience possible, we are creating high school lesson plans to be used with them. All the materials will be available for free to teachers and the public once they are completed.

    We are currently inviting high school teachers to participate in online focus groups to identify what the documentaries, lesson plans, and activities should cover. Participants will be paid $100 for their time. Please help us spread the word.

    We are seeking teachers who are: Teaching (or have taught within the past three years) at least one of the following at the high school level: US History (must include 20th century or World War II); Civics; US Government; Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or Alaska State History (must include 20th century or World War II) Comfortable teaching content that include historical documents, historical images, documentary video, and/or interview transcripts. Excited about collaboration with other teachers from across the US to create engaging learning experiences for high school students Available to participate in 2 sessions for a total of 2.5 hours of virtual focus groups at the following times: Saturday, April 27th from 10-11am Pacific (1-2 pm Eastern) and Saturday, May 11th from 9:30-11am Pacific (12:30-2 pm Eastern)

    Anyone interested in participating and able to commit to the dates/times above is invited to register here: https://goo.gl/forms/lB4kgxEtrdLVV6UN2 

     This project is being created by North Shore Productions for the nonprofit Friends of Minidoka.

  • Portland Art Museum Educator Membership Discount

    Portland Art Museum Educator Membership Discount

    WHAT:
    The Portland Art Museum is offering educators a 15 percent discount for one year and 30 percent discount for two years on all membership levels. Available online only. Enter the discount code EDU15 or EDU30. Proof of educator status may be requested at entry.

    HOW:
    For more information, go to http://portlandartmuseum.org/support/membership

Websites

  • Black Lives Matter at School

    Black Lives Matter at School

    As racism and xenophobia become more prevalent and overt in our schools and communities, it is more important than ever to listen to and elevate the voices, experiences, and history of our fellow citizens and communities under attack. 

    To support the work that OEA and NEA members do to educate and organize around racial justice in education, To support these important efforts, NEA’s Human & Civil Rights Department has developed a resource site: Black Lives Matter at School. Here you will find stories detailing how educators and students are organizing for racial justice, resources from locals, school districts, & partners, and art and videos for members and allies to use to educate, engage and take action for racial justice in education.

    The goal of Black Lives Matter at School is to spark an ongoing movement of critical reflection and honest conversation in school communities for people of all ages to engage with issues of racial justice. Find stories, resources and ideas highlighting Black Lives Matter at School from across the country here.

    In addition to union-developed resources, grade-level appropriate lessons curated by educators and partners and stories highlighting member activism can also be found here. The art and multi-media resources on the page are essential components for awareness building, engagement, connection, and change for racial and social justice.

    The site is dedicated to lifting stories and resources from educator activists working for social and racial justice. 

    neaEdJustice.org

  • Resources for Talking About Race

    Resources for Talking About Race

    Check out NEA’s cultivated list of resources to help facilitate conversations about race, including classroom appropriate lesson plans, guides on how to have tough conversations with peers and students, and more. A sampling of these include:

    Guiding Principles for Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter
    Black Lives Matter: Resources for Curriculum, The Rochester Board of Education, Rochester Teachers Association and Association of Supervisors and Administrators of Rochester
    Black Lives Matter School Resources by Grade Level, Teaching for Change
    Creating the Space to Talk about Race in Your School (PDF), National Education Association

    educationvotes.nea.org/neaedjustice/black-lives-matter-school-resources

  • California Academy of Sciences Teacher Resources

    California Academy of Sciences Teacher Resources

    WHAT:  If you're looking for fun, engaging science resources, you're bound to find some useful ones here. Choose from lesson plans, as well as games, films and clips, and other interesting multimedia, online courses, interactives, toolkits, and much more.

    HOW: Find inspiration at https://www.calacademy.org/edu...

  • National Geographic One-Page MapMaker

    National Geographic One-Page MapMaker

    WHAT: A tool that allows you to create custom, single-sheet maps of any continent, country, or state. Labels can be added or removed to allow for knowledge testing, and maps can be emailed, printed, or shared on all major social media platforms. Requires Adobe Flash Player. 
    HOW: To use the tool, visit https://www.nationalgeographic...

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Books

  • Add Social Justice Texts to Your Classroom!

    Add Social Justice Texts to Your Classroom!

    Introduction by Brett Bigham - 2014 Oregon Teacher of the Year

    I don’t remember many actual lessons from fifth grade but I remember hanging on every word as my teacher read “Where the Red Fern Grows.” For weeks on end I was terrified I’d get sick and miss a day in the life of those dogs. 

    In fourth grade I sat in horror realizing the ending of Anne Frank was the closest I’d ever been to attending a funeral. Rows of children silently crying. A few, not so silently. That teacher may well have tattooed me because that book made an indelible mark on my life.

    Don’t even get me started on Charlotte’s Web.

    The literature a teacher chooses to share with their students is an incredibly personal thing. It is a bond between teacher and students that has impact for years to come. 

    How do you pick the right book?  Has the classic held up or has it become uncomfortable? Do you teach empathy through the pages of Charlotte’s Web or Wonder or Brown Girl Dreaming? And then there is that constant nagging question: Is the book you are about to invest several months in good enough? Is there something better?

    As I travelled through Oregon as Teacher of the Year I was constantly asked what books I’d recommend. I’ve learned there is a lot of angst about the quality of books in a classroom library. Pre-service teachers wanted the nuts and bolts. They didn’t want to hear “Get books about social justice.” they wanted a list that said, “The Book Of Isaias by Daniel Connolly is a great book to teach about Dreamers.” 

    The need for guidance was so clear the National Network of State Teachers of the Year and I joined up to create the NNSTOY Social Justice Book List. Working with Katherine Bassett and Laurie Calvert we surveyed Teachers of the Year from all over the country to find out what books they were using in their classroom to teach social justice.

    We ended up with over two hundred books that had been vetted by our most recognized educators. The list is by grade level with an additional section of books for teachers themselves. Now, whenever I am asked what books I would choose to support LGBT students or kids living in poverty or dealing with bullying and racism I can send them the link for the book list.

    The NNSTOY Social Justice Book List, edited by Katherine Bassett, Laurie Calvert and Brett Bigham is available free online at: 
    http://www.nnstoy.org/wp-conte...


  • Teaching for Promise: Transforming Dis/ability Through Multimodal Literacy

    Teaching for Promise: Transforming Dis/ability Through Multimodal Literacy

    By Kathleen M. Collins
    Teachers College Press, 2018, ISBN-13: 9780807756973, $44.95 (List Price), available at www.tcpress.com

    How can we create classrooms where children historically positioned as “struggling” or “deficient” are able to participate fully and successfully? In detailed case studies, the author demonstrates how teachers integrated multimodal literacies and a sociocultural understanding of disability to inform their teaching and help students meet or exceed expected academic standards.

  • Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom

    Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom

    By Nel Noddings and Laurie Brooks 
    Teachers College Press, 2016, ISBN-13: 9780807757802, $34.95 (List Price), available at www.tcpress.com

    This book offers specific, concrete strategies for addressing a variety of issues related to authority, religion, gender, race, media, sports, entertainment, class and poverty, capitalism and socialism, and equality and justice. The goal is to develop individuals who can examine their own beliefs, those of their own and other group with respect and understanding for others' values.

  • Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years: Promoting Resiliency and Healing, Grades 6-12

    Trauma-Sensitive Schools for the Adolescent Years: Promoting Resiliency and Healing, Grades 6-12

    By Susan E. Craig
    Teachers College Press, 2017, ISBN-13: 9780807758250, $29.95 (List Price); available at www.tcpress.com

    The trauma-sensitive schools movement is the result of a confluence of forces that are changing how educators view students’ academic and social problems, including the failure of zero-tolerance policies to resolve issues of school safety, bullying, and academic failure, as well as a new understanding of adolescents’ disruptive behavior.

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For The Classroom

  • Teaching Tolerance in the Classroom

    Teaching Tolerance in the Classroom

    WHAT: For teachers who want to bring a social justice framework into their classroom, but aren’t sure how, Teaching Tolerance is here to help. From film kits and lesson plans to the building blocks of a customized Learning Plan—texts, student tasks and teaching strategies—our resources will help you bring relevance, rigor and social emotional learning into your classroom.

    HOW: Helpful tools available at https://www.tolerance.org/clas...

  • Be Internet Awesome (Digital Citizenship Curriculum)

    Be Internet Awesome (Digital Citizenship Curriculum)

    WHAT: To make the most of the Internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence.

    HOW: Start being awesome here: https://beinternetawesome.with...

  • Pets in the Classroom

    Pets in the Classroom

    WHAT: An educational grant program that provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom. The program was established by the Pet Care Trust to provide children with an opportunity to interact with pets—an experience that can help to shape their lives for years to come.

    HOW: To see if you qualify, visit http://www.petsintheclassroom....

  • Kahoot!

    Kahoot!

    WHAT: Make your classroom awesome by creating your own learning games with Kahoot! Upload your own set of multiple choice questions, add images and videos, and get playing! Your students play from their own devices, keeping them engaged throughout the lesson. 
    HOW: https://kahoot.com/welcomeback...

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