Have a Yen To Travel?

If you are a middle or high school teacher with five or more years of classroom experience in English as a Foreign Language and social sciences (including social studies, civics, and history), you can apply for an International Travel Grant from the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), a non-profit organization that provides leadership programs to improve the quality of education worldwide.

Thirty-six applicants will be chosen to participate in a reciprocal two-week professional exchange program in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Ukraine.

Prior to traveling abroad, winners will participate in a workshop hosted by a U.S. university, where they will meet with international teachers. Overseas, participants will work on joint teacher-training projects; visit local schools, parent committees, and nongovernmental organizations; speak to local government officials; and meet with Ministry of Education representatives.

The program is fully funded and provides visa support, round-trip domestic airfare, lodging, and meals to attend the U.S. conference, as well as round-trip airfare to the assigned country, vaccinations, lodging, and a daily stipend in the host country. You must be a U.S. citizen and available for travel April 5–18, 2008. The application deadline is April 2, 2007. For more information, visit www.irex.org/programs/tea/index.asp.

Rewarding Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors outstanding young leaders who have made a significant difference to people and the planet.

Founded by author T.A. Barron and named for his mother, the Barron Prize annually selects 10 winners nationwide, half of whom focus on helping their communities and fellow humans, and half of whom focus on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment.

  Students no younger than 8 and no older than 18 at the time of the nomination deadline are eligible. Nominees must be legal residents of the United States or Canada, and must have participated in the work for which they are being nominated within 12 months prior to the nomination deadline. Nominations are submitted by adults with solid knowledge of the nominee’s work, but who are not related. This could include teachers, librarians, civic leaders, etc.

Winners each receive $2,000 to be applied to their higher education or their service project. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2007. Visit www.barronprize.org to download a nomination packet and read about winning projects.

Presidential Award Honors Exemplary Science, Math Teachers

Help recognize the best 7th- to 12th-grade math and science teachers in your community by nominating them for the 2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Each year, the White House recognizes up to 108 outstanding teachers from all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Department of Defense Schools, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Candidates must be nominated, either by themselves or someone else—principals, teachers, students, parents, or the general public.

Winners receive a citation signed by the President of the United States; a paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a weeklong series of events and professional development opportunities; gifts from program sponsors; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

To find out about eligibility requirements, as well as download a nomination form and packet, visit www.paemst.org. Applications are due by May 1, 2007.

Join the All-USA Teacher Team

USA Today seeks up to 20 nominees, both individual teachers and instructional teams, to become members of the All-USA Teachers Team. Judges consider how well each teacher defines student needs, what methods the teacher has developed or uses to meet those needs, how well the teacher executes those methods, and the impact the teacher has on students, the school, and the community.

Winners are announced in October, and their photographs are published and accomplishments noted in USA Today. Each member also receives a trophy, plus $2,500—$500 for the teacher(s) and the remainder to the school for use as designated by the teacher(s). Certified, full-time K–12 teachers for the 2006–07 school year are eligible.

The deadline is April 30, 2007. Go to www.usatoday.com/news/education/allstars/front.htm?Loc=vanity.

Essay Contest for Career and Technical Ed Students

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is sponsoring an essay contest in memory of former ACTE Senior Director of Communications Cliff Weiss (1951–2004). Students are asked to respond to the question, “How will what you learned in career and technical education help the American economy in five years?”

The essay should be no more than 500 words. The winning student will receive $250, and his or her essay will be published in ACTE’s Techniques Magazine. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in at least one career and technical course. The deadline is March 30, 2007. For more, visit www.acteonline.org/about/ awards/CWMEC/index.cfm.

Minority Leadership Training Seminars

NEA President Reg Weaver is an alum. So are a growing number of state affiliate presidents. And so, quite possibly, is one of your co-workers.

Each year, NEA’s Minority Leadership Training Seminars help between 1,500 and 2,000 members learn more about the inner workings of the Association and prepare for leadership roles in their schools, communities, and their local, state, and national Associations.

Created in the wake of the 1966 merger between NEA and the American Teachers Association, the program continues to fulfill its goal of increasing the involvement of minorities in NEA activities at all levels, thereby helping “move the agenda of the Association,” says Genevieve Phelps of NEA Human and Civil Rights, which manages the program.

Leadership development sessions are geared toward both members just beginning to participate in Association work and experienced leaders who have been elected or appointed to state or local leadership positions. Emerging leaders attend sessions on developing a vision, understanding the Association, communication, decision-making and assertiveness. Experienced leaders learn about the details of organizing, leadership and language, parliamentary procedure, message development, political action, and developing partnerships.

The sessions also include networking opportunities and dialogues with regional and national experts on issues ranging from closing the achievement gaps to community and parental involvement. Just as important, says Phelps, the experience gives emerging leaders their share of “union moments”—experiences where they “saw the impact of the union on education,” she says.

A half-dozen regional seminars are held each year, as are smaller training programs customized to meet the needs of state and local affiliates. State presidents each select six members to attend the regional seminars, and NEA members can also attend individually or through programs sponsored by their state or local Association.

For more details and registration forms, visit http://www.nea.org/members/mltgen.html