Remember this old bumper sticker?
What if the schools had all the money they needed and the Air Force had to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber?
This idea has been around since the 1960's, and while there have been some periods of better focus on schools, for the most part education is still underfunded. I know that many on the right are quick to point out that "throwing money at a problem won't solve it" (never mind that many of these folks don't mind throwing out money literally as part of a war effort-see here...), and quite technically, they are correct. As some of us have learned from the above mentioned "missing money" incident, oversight and accountability can be really good things. We want to see results from our investment.
Having said that, I need to tell you that I am a bit annoyed that education in general and educators specifically have been held to much higher standards of accountability than say bank executives, oil company executives, automotive industry executives, etc. I totally get that what we do as educators is EXTREMELY important-- I am a mommyof3, afterall. We really are molding and shaping the future as we teach the next generation, from pre-K through PhD programs.
But I have just finished writing a grant for a relatively small amount of resources (one Apple MacBook and one iPod Touch) for my classroom. I am excited at the possibilities... increased motivation in my classroom (do you know what 11-12 year olds will do for time on a laptop?)... cool projects to demonstrate real-life math... podcasts from 6th graders about math (hurrah!). The catch is LOTS of accountability-- which I find worth it. It is a little frustrating, however, to feel so pressured over $1199 (the retail value of the MacBook and iPod)-- I will be devoting a tremendous amount of time to this project, because I want it to go well. There is a week of mandatory training on the equipment-- 36 hours of how to use a MacBook and iTouch (perhaps there a few things I don't know about this equipment, but 36 hours?!). All the classroom magic will happen during regular school hours, so this will not be a problem. But I am expected to add both teacher-produced and student-produced curriculum related podcasts to our Apple server, and much of that will have to be done on my own time. I am also expected to become a trainer for other teachers in my building and in other schools in my district. It will be great to share with my fellow teachers all the cool things my students are doing-- but it will involve more time in the evening away from my family.
Now that I've finished venting a bit... I'm now going to suggest that we should all do some more grant writing. While the inequities in accountability are mind-boggling, I have decided that the hurdles I must jump to get my "Creation Station" are worth it. My students and I will be improving the curriculum for everyone where we live. That's a kind of oversight I like!
Some places to start:
SchoolGrants.org-- k-12 grants and grant-writing tips
eSchool News-- both k-12 and college/university technology funding
The Foundation Center-- Accepts proposals for k-12 and higher education
Federal Grants Wire-- Federal grants for all sorts of education areas (some not so small!)
So, if there is something you really want to do with your students but don't have the resources for-- go ahead and look for a grant. There are many worth the time and effort.
Please share your experiences and other funding sites/sources in the comments... we can all learn from each other!