Solid science education is the best inoculation against ignorance.
The Inoculation Project, founded in 2009 by hyperbolic pants explosion, is a group of Kossacks who gather weekly to combat the anti-science push in conservative America by providing direct funding to science and math projects in red state classrooms. Our conduit is DonorsChoose.org, a thirteen-year-old organization rated highly by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Here's a little introductory video about DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose.org allows you to make direct contributions to specific, vetted projects in public school classrooms, resulting in tremendous and immediate impacts from small dollar donations. Each week, we focus on funding a single small-dollar project at a time, in a traditionally red state classroom and preferably in a high-poverty district.
Look for us every SUNDAY morning at 10 AM ET/ 7 AM PT.
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I apologize to our regulars, but I forgot that today is my day to post for this series. I've spent the past hour looking for a suitable project and have been unable to find anything that met all of our criteria for selection. And now I have to leave to go to my region's Battleground Texas convention today.
So please consider something a bit different today. Last summer, the Daily Kos community funded air-conditioning units for the Okiciyap Food Pantry. Perhaps we could help some of the classrooms in the diary below as well.
Cooling Projects
Our supporter Square Knot wrote a recent diary listing some DonorsChoose projects for classrooms that are way too hot for kids to learn. They are more expensive than the science projects we normally pick, since they are buying air conditioning in some form, but they are all open until at least September, so they have a chance to succeed. If you have a little extra, please consider helping a class cool off!
From Nobody Deserves a Learning Room Over 100 Degrees F.:
...during the summer, my students have to spend 5 to 6 hours everyday in a classroom where the thermometer can reach a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher... An air conditioner would be of great benefit to my students. We wouldn't need to worry about students fainting, or struggling to concentrate due to the heat. |
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Update: belinda ridgewood here. I thought I would post links to Square Knot's cooling projects here, so everyone won't have to go through the other diary to get to them. I can't stick around either, but I know this community knows what to do. I'll list the projects in the order that they will expire, and list the remaining open amounts as I see them at this moment -- obviously, those are subject to change! Thanks, everyone, for helping out, and OUR VERY BEST WISHES TO BATTLEGROUND TEXAS!
Keeping Cool With Technology!: Paterson NJ. Expires Sep 02, 2013. Still needed: $354.64.
Portable Air Conditioner: New York NY. Expires Sep 26, 2013. Still needed: $925.65.
Nobody Deserves a Learning Room Over 100 Degrees F.: Denver CO. Expires Oct 19, 2013. Still needed: $411.65.
It's Too Hot in Here!: Kaneohe HI. Expires Oct 23, 2013. Still needed: $92.42 COMPLETED!
Too Hot to Learn: Paterson NJ. Expires Oct 25, 2013. Still needed: $523.28.
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Housekeeping:
Last week's main project, Help Us "SNAP" Back into Electricity!, was completed. Eighth-graders in Georgia will receive Electronic Snap Circuit Kits to experience electricity hands-on.
Last week's bonus project, Don't Take Me For Granite Because I'm So Gneiss!, was also rescued. High-school students in Virginia will have samples of fossils, rocks and minerals to identify.
A project from a previous week, How's the Weather?, was completed as well. At-risk students in Mississippi will use weather tools to participate in Globe's International Weather Program to compare data worldwide.
You can see the teachers' thank-you notes at the links above. Many thanks to all contributors!
See our list of successfully funded projects. We're up to 340!
When projects are not fully funded by their expiration date, donors are contacted by DonorsChoose and asked to choose another project to which to redirect their donations.
How is the poverty level defined at DonorsChoose.org?
Poverty level refers to the percentage of students at a given school who qualify for free and reduced lunch, which is considered a measure of economic need. To be deemed eligible for free lunch, a student's family income must be within 130% of the poverty line (a max of $29,055 for a family of four). For reduced lunch, the family income must be within 185% of the poverty level (a max of $41,348 for a family of four).
Schools with 10%-39% of students receiving free/reduced lunch are denoted as "moderate poverty" while schools with more than 40% of students receiving free/reduced lunch are denoted as "high poverty". For projects submitted from a school where free lunch rate data is unavailable or unreliable, "Poverty Data Unavailable" will appear. (from DonorsChoose.org) |
More information:
DonorsChoose.org main page
DonorsChoose.org blog
About DonorsChoose.org
All DonorsChoose.org math & science projects search results
We are in no way affiliated with DonorsChoose.org, or any of the classroom projects presented for funding.
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You are welcome to use The Inoculation Project avatar as your DonorsChoose avatar if you wish. If you need instructions for uploading it to your DonorsChoose profile, you'll find them in this diary.
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