Fund for Teachers Awards 430 Teachers $1.7M for Global Learning Odysseys

Will spend summer in 61 countries/7 continents to model lifelong learning for students

HOUSTON, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While America's educational system navigates budget cuts resulting from state shortfalls, 430 teachers will navigate the world this summer on Fund for Teachers fellowships. These preK-12 educators proposed their ideal professional development experiences to Fund for Teachers through an online application and, fueled by $5,000 individual and $10,000 team grants, will now embark on their self-designed odysseys to inspire themselves and their students.

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"These fellowships don't simply impact us as teachers, but ultimately our students, as well," explained Martin Saucedo, teacher at Houston's Milby High School, who will travel through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru with his FFT grant, analyzing community impact on global environmental change to inform language and AP Environmental Science courses. "It's hard to believe there's an organization like Fund for Teachers that gives money to teachers so we can go and learn. You don't hear that a lot in our profession. I can already tell this is going to be a life-changing experience."

A complete list of these teachers' project descriptions and destinations is available at fundforteachers.org. The 2012 grant cycle begins on October 1, 2011.

"Before my Fund for Teachers fellowship, I was an environmental science teacher who lacked experience in the field," said Natalie Dennison, teacher at New York's Bushwick School for Social Justice. "My 2010 FFT grant allowed me to assist in conservation efforts on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and equipped me with personal experiences I daily use as a visual and anecdotal platform to model, motivate and teach." 

"Fund for Teachers has awarded more than $15.9 million in FFT grants to more than 4,500 teachers since our organization was founded in 2001," explained Karen Kovach Webb, executive director. "These fellowships catalyze a ripple effect of inspired learning for the teacher, their students and school community. Our goal and expectation is that teachers, when empowered as lead learners, will deliver better instruction to more engaged students."

About Fund for Teachers
A national, donor-supported organization, Fund for Teachers makes an important contribution to America's educational conversation by expanding the definition of teacher professional development. By investing $15.9 million in 4,500 educators over the past ten years, Fund for Teachers inspires teachers' pursuit of meaningful, self-designed work that translates into skills and scholarship directly impacting student learning. For more information, visit fundforteachers.org or facebook.com/fundforteachers and twitter.com/fundforteachers.

SOURCE Fund for Teachers