Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/712197
Institute for Teaching Funds 47 Projects Nearly four dozen CTA members received funding for their ideas and are busy starting to implement their projects this coming school year. A total of $600,000 for 47 projects was awarded for 2016-17, the seventh year of CTA's Institute for Teaching (IFT) grant program. Grants by subject area: • STEM/Robotics: 13 • PE/Health and Fitness/Outdoor Education: 6 • Agriculture/Gardening/Environmental Education: 5 • College and Career Readiness/Leadership and Life Skills: 4 • English and Language Arts/Literacy/Journalism: 4 • Fine Arts/Performing Arts: 4 • Academic Support/Intervention: 3 • Aer School and Extended Day Programs: 3 • Early Childhood Education: 2 • History/Social Science/Civic Literacy: 2 • Parent/Community Engagement: 1 This year's award amount brings IFT's total grant funding to more than $2.3 million since 2010. Both the number of awards and the total grant funds represent the highest yearly totals in the seven years of the program. Twenty-eight Impact Grants (up to $20,000) and 19 Educator Grants (up to $5,000) were awarded. The photo above shows students involved in an agricultural literacy program developed by educators in the Marysville Unified Teachers Asso- ciation. The program was funded with a 2015-16 IFT Impact grant. To find out more and to apply, see teacherdrivenchange.org. Californians Among NEA Human Rights Award Winners Two young Californians have been honored as NEA's 2016 Human and Civil Rights Award Winners: DAHKOTA KICKING BEAR BROWN, Leo Reano Memorial Award. In eighth grade, Brown founded NERDS (Native Education Raising Dedicated Students), a mentoring and tutoring program that boasts a 100 percent graduation rate. He has organized annual youth gatherings, is an officer at his high school in Jackson (Amador County), and serves on the National Congress for the American Indian's youth cabinet and the Center for Native American Youth's executive advisory board. He played an active role in the passage of AB 30, which banned the use of the R*dsk*n mascot in California public schools. MICHAEL CHAVARRIA, SuAnne Big Crow Memorial Award. At age 15, Chavarria came out to his conservative community of Oroville, educating the school commu- nity about gay rights and advocating for those rights with just a PowerPoint presenta- tion and a lot of courage. Students now say he has made "a safer place for the LGBTQ community." President of his school's Gay Straight Alliance, he has made sure the dis- trict became compliant with Seth's Law, AB 9. It requires state public schools to include sexual orientation/per- ceived sexual orientation or gender/perceived gender in anti-bullying policy, and requires that school personnel intervene if they witness bullying of any kind. California Casualty Teaching Excellence Award AL RABANERA, a math educator at La Vista High School in Fullerton, is one of 43 public educators to receive the prestigious California Casualty Award for Teaching Excel- lence. Rabanera was nominated by CTA for his dedication to the profession, community engagement, professional development, attention to diversity, and advocacy for edu- cators. He is a member of CTA's Instructional Leadership Corps, which supports innovative educational approaches in coordination with partner Stanford University. Awardees participate in the Global Learning Fellowship, a yearlong professional development program on how to prepare students for a con- nected, multicultural world. Richmond Educator Receives a Fulbright DR. RAYMOND CHIMEZIE, United Teachers of Richmond member and teacher at Grant Elementary School, has received a Ful- bright Award to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa. During the yearlong period, he will teach public health at a university in Nigeria and conduct research on the use of nurse practitioners to improve rural access to health care. Chimezie founded the Health for Schools and Communities Foundation, which promotes health education and access to schools and opportu- nities in underserved areas. At Grant Elementary, he started a student health ambassador program to develop student leaders in promoting and modeling healthy lifestyles. 53 August 2016