Fund For Teachers Workshops Planned

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fund For Teachers (FFT), the Tulsa Community Foundation and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will hold proposal-writing information sessions this fall to provide information about the Fund for Teachers – Oklahoma Program and its summer 2010 professional development fellowships.

Fund for Teachers is a donor-supported organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of schoolteachers and students by providing fellowships for self-designed professional growth to teachers who recognize the value of inquiry, the power of knowledge and their ability to make a difference. In cooperation with the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and Tulsa Community Foundation, Fund for Teachers awards fellowships of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for teams to Oklahoma public, private, parochial and charter school teachers.

During the upcoming information sessions, teachers will have the opportunity to ask questions about eligibility and application requirements and to learn more about the grant program and writing a proposal. Applications are currently available at www.fundforteachers.org and must be submitted online by 5 p.m. Jan. 29.

Information sessions will be held in the greater Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas. A session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at Moore Public Schools' Administration Building, 1500 S.E. 4th. The Tulsa session will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Student Union at Tulsa Community College’s Southeast Campus, 10300 E. 81st South. Webinars will also be conducted from October through January, and some former Fund for Teachers fellows will be leading information sessions in their communities. Please visit www.ofe.org for more information and a schedule of additional locations.

The information sessions and Fund for Teachers fellowships are open to all pre-K through 12th grade teachers who have three years of teaching experience, are full-time employees and spend at least 50 percent of their time in a classroom setting. In addition, applicants must have the intention of returning to their school and/or district following their summer professional development. Applicants will be selected based on each proposal’s merit—the potential for teacher growth and rejuvenation, as well as student, classroom and school impact.

For more information, visit the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Web site at www.ofe.org or contact Dayna Rowe by e-mail at drowe@ofe.org or phone at 405-236-0006.