[District Dispatch] Announcement: Apply Now for Federal School Literacy Grants

FYI

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Marcia Mardis <mmardis@fsu.edu>
To: aaslforum@ala.org
Sent: Thu, July 12, 2012 8:26:24 AM
Subject: [aaslforum] Apply Now for Federal School Literacy Grants--evaluation services available

Dear AASL Forum community,

It's exciting that the Department of Education has put a program in place that the absence of the Improving Literacy through School Libraries program has left in school libraries.

The Partnerships Advancing Library Media (PALM) Center at Florida State University (http://palmcenter.fsu.edu/), directed by AASL members, former school librarians, and current professors Nancy Everhart and Marcia Mardis, can help you design, position, and complete a meaningful project that meets your literacy goals.

As you read through the Federal Register Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) linked at (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-07-11/html/2012-16930.htm), note the review criteria near the bottom. They include:

(f) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended 
outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative 
data to the extent possible. (10 points)
    (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)

While you do not need to hire an external evaluator to help you define and measure your progress toward project goals, often the guidance and collaboration of experienced, objective project evaluators can ensure that your project team is able to focus on helping children improve their literacy, not on filling out forms and producing reports.

If you are interested in finding out more about how the PALM Center can work with you, please contact Nancy Everhart (everhart@fsu.edu) or Marcia Mardis (mmardis@fsu.edu).

Happy grant writing!

Marcia Mardis

On Jul 11, 2012, at 5:01 PM, Jennifer Habley wrote:

[District Dispatch] Announcement: Apply Now for Federal School Literacy Grants
From: District Dispatch [mailto:districtdispatch@alawash.org]
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 2:46 PM
Subject: [District Dispatch] Announcement: Apply Now for Federal School Literacy Grants

The application filing period for Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program (IAL) school literacy grants is now open, the Department of Education announced today in the Federal Register. We encourage school librarians to apply for the program grants, which can range from $150,000–750,000. At least 50 percent of the $28.6 million is designated for school librarians. The deadline to apply for the grant funding is August 10, 2012, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The literacy grant program is designed to support innovative literacy programs for young children, increase student achievement by using school libraries and motivate older children to read. According to the Department of Education, the grants are to be used to "develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through 12th grade within the attendance boundaries of high-need local educational agencies."
Local education agencies can use the funding to support school libraries and purchase materials. The Department of Education highlighted the need for school libraries in the literacy efforts in the program announcement:
Many schools and districts across the Nation do not have school libraries that deliver high-quality literacy programming to children and their families. Additionally, many schools do not have qualified library media specialists and library facilities. Where facilities do exist, they are often underresourced and lack adequate books and other materials. In many communities, high-need children and students have limited access to appropriate age- and grade-level reading material in their homes.
To get tips on how to apply for the literacy grant program, visit the ALA Innovative Approaches to Literacy application guide webpage.
Please note: All interested parties must be registered for federal grants in advance to apply for program grants.

---
Marcia A. Mardis, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor

Associate Director, The PALM Center

School of Library and Information Studies

The iSchool of Florida @ The Florida State University

Co-Editor
School Libraries Worldwide
Official Journal of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL)

mmardis@fsu.edu