Between the United States’ government’s push to ensure that our students keep up with the 21st century’s technological advances and demands to stay competitive and the differentiated learning that technology provides, you understand the critical importance of having plenty of the right classroom technology for your students. On the other hand, as a modern educator, you also know what it means to feel your hands tied by budgetary constraints for your school’s district, meaning sparse funds available for your school.
How to Get Additional Funding for Classroom Technology
Even with the ironic position you find yourself in as an educator or school administrator, trying to juggle a restricted budget and governmental demands to meet Core Curriculum Content Standards, we know that you have the ingenuity and resources to find the funding you need to get essential technology for your students. Consider some of the following 4 tactics to raise the money you need to keep your students on track for success for their own benefits, as well as in the effort to keep up with district, state and national requirements:
1. Teacher Development Grants. If you and your teaching colleagues have some big ideas about changing learning initiatives for grades K-12, a Teacher Development Grant would do wonders to help your school earn the necessary funds to bolster your technological needs. With grants topping out at $10,000 per year and $30,000 over three years, this particular grant is essential for your consideration. Work with a group of your fellow teaching colleagues to prepare to apply on behalf of your school between January 15 through April 15 for this McCarthy-Dressman Foundation Grant.
2. Ask for Gifts. Scholastic recommends this advice to educators and educational communities — including parents, students and area government and business leaders — noting that not only should you ask for gifts, but you should ask for big gifts. If you know of resources in your community who understand the value of education and what it means for your community, they understand why you ask for help and will extend it if they have the means to do so. It takes time, effort, energy and finesse to take on this type of guileless fundraising, but as you enlist focused fellow teachers, administrators and eager students to put a face on the issue, local donors will learn and appreciate how important it is for them to donate to make sure their community’s future workers, customers and taxpayers have the technological tools they need.
3. Technology Donor Programs. This type of program serves as a matchmaker between educators and technology donors. Teachers submit their story — including their school’s background and funding issues and the specifics of their classroom and their students’ stories — to the program and become a part of the database, which donors can peruse. From there, donors can read through your profile to see if would like to make a cash donation or offer the school a gift. The deadline for this program is ongoing.
4. DonorsChoose. This points-based system offers you a goal-oriented approach to receiving donations for your school by doing some crowdfunding on your own. Once you reach prescribed goals, DonorsChoose will make a donation. With a rolling deadline, anytime is a good time to get started.
At School Specialty, we keep watch over opportunities for you to achieve your technology goals to help your students stay competitive and enjoy themselves in the process.
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