Leadership Grants

CSTP awards small grants to National Board Certified Teachers so they can lead high-quality professional development in their schools and districts. This practice has proven to be extremely effective with NBCTs, allowing them the opportunity to bring precious professional development dollars into their settings, and to exercise their leadership in a way that makes local impact and involves colleagues with professional development strategies that make positive impacts on student learning. It also allows leaders to personalize professional development to the needs of their students. In situations where the entire school is involved with the learning opportunity funded by the grant, common language, common vision and new appreciation for the expertise of colleagues can also result.

2010 NBCT Leadership Grants:

NBCTs, do you have a great idea about how to increase student learning, but just need some funds to help you realize your vision? If so, a Leadership Grant might be just what you need! CSTP is managing OSPI-funded leadership grants to NBCTs in 2010-11. Thirty grants of up to $5,000 each will be given to teams in two grant cycles. The first grant cycle is January 2010 through December 31, 2010. The application deadline for the first cycle is 5 p.m. on January 29, 2010. The second grant cycle will run July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.  

NBCTs applying for these competitive grants will identify and address a local student learning challenge and provide a plan to build teacher capacity to meet that challenge.  NBCTs and their learning colleagues (NBCTs and/or other accomplished teachers) may be from the same school or across schools in the same district if addressing a common need.  Grant funds can pay for stipends, hourly curriculum pay, substitute teachers, books, and materials necessary for professional development. Grant funds will not be used to pay for equipment, travel, outside consultants, student materials or overhead fee/charges.  
 
Grant proposals must give priority to one or more of the following:

• High Needs Schools - improving learning in our most challenging schools
• Take One! projects  - NBPTS professional development opportunity
• Closing the Achievement Gap - addressing the students who need us most
• Mentoring and Induction - support for teachers in their first five years
• Building-Wide Leadership  - strengthening leadership knowledge and skills

Download the NBCT Leadership Grant with detailed information that includes:

• Grant application specifications
• Links to the online application forms
• Embedded web links to resources that may be useful as you plan your proposal
• Application questions
• Scoring rubric

Application Process/Submission: There are two parts to the Leadership Grant Application.

• 1. The first part is the Teacher Proposal. It is to be submitted online by a National Board Certified Teacher who will act as the coordinator and central point of contact for the application. Click here to go to the online application.
• 2. The second part is the Administrator Support Form. This form acknowledges the administrator's awareness and support for the proposal. It must be submitted by a building principal, superintendent or other district administrator. Click here to go to the Administrator Support Form.

Because the second part of the application requires an administrator's sign-off, we highly suggest applicants draft their proposals in a Word document that can be easily emailed to or printed off for an administrator to read prior to filling out the administrator support form. Responses to application questions in Word can also be easily copied and pasted into the online application. You may download the NBCT Leadership Grant for the application.

Grant cycle 1 timeline:

• Proposals are due via the online application by 5 p.m. on January 29, 2010
• Notification by February 15, 2010
• Grant work will take place between March 1 - November 1, 2010
• Final reports and invoices due December 31, 2010

Other useful resources:

• Summaries of what other NBCTs have done with Leadership Grants check out CSTP's publication Small Investments, Big Returns.
• National Staff Development Council's definition of effective professional development.

CSTP's Teacher Leadership Skills Framework

Here's what past NBCT Leadership Grant recipients had to say:

From an elementary school staff member engaged in perfecting mathematics lessons:  "It is amazing. It's not just studying one little lesson. The best part of it is sitting down together and sharing what we are doing with kids and how we do it. The synergy is one of the best things I've seen and I've been teaching since '85."

And from a teacher provided time to observe in colleagues' classrooms: "Everyone is now wanting more opportunity to be in other teachers' classrooms ... because you can talk all you like about curriculum and management, but it is a whole other ball game to see it in action."

A brief description of grants awarded in the past:
2007-2008       

2004-2005     

2003-2004

CSTP Leadership Grants 2003 ‐ 2008 Project Analysis and Recommendations

Small investments, big returns - Increasing the effectiveness of professional development