Students, teachers and education employees statewide will benefit from more than $190,000 in new grants announced March 15 by the Education Minnesota Foundation for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The total includes $100,840 to Education Minnesota members in two categories: Classroom Grants for teachers, and Professional Development Leadership Grants for educational support professionals.

"These grant recipients go above and beyond when it comes to improving teaching and learning," said Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher.

Additionally, eight nonprofit organizations received Affinity Grants in the past year to offer high-quality professional development and instructional materials to Education Minnesota members:

COMPAS		Minnesota Public Radio
Minneapolis Institute of Arts		The Advocates for Human Rights
Minnesota Humanities Center		Pro-Choice Resources
Minnesota International Center		University of Minnesota

Foundation grants are funded by voluntary contributions of $5 per member. Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million for projects aimed at improving teaching and learning.

This year's recipients were recognized at the Education Minnesota Representative Convention, the annual meeting of its highest policy-making body, March 14-15.

Professional Development Leadership Grant recipients

 

Local union	Recipient	Project title
Minneapolis	Mary DeLuney	Peer Coaching for Stewards
Minneapolis	Lynette Harten	NSTA Convention
Minneapolis	Linda Heeney-Neadeau	Signing as a Winning  Strategy
Minneapolis	Kim Wolking	NSTA Convention
Southwest/West Central Service Coop.	Debra Horne	Handwriting Without Tears
St. Paul	Sue Snyder	Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Conference

Classroom Grant recipients

Local union	Recipient	Project name
Albert Lea	Laurie Herman	Family Math Night
Alexandria	Susan Schwarze	I Can Do Boxes
Bemidji	Joyce Siegert	Project EARS - Enhanced Audio Reading Solutions
Bemidji	Travis Guida	Developing Job Skills for At-risk Youth
Bemidji	Michelle Dahlby	Creative Writing with Picture Books
Bloomington	Rachel Gens	Family Literacy Kits
Bloomington	Susan Niz	A New Model for Home Literacy: Interactive Books for Equal Access
Burnsville	Melissa Roeske	Therapy Balls in the Classroom
Burnsville	Cheryl Gores	Science on a Disc
Cass Lake	Bryan Sathre	CLBHS Fundamentals of Fishing
Chaska	Liz Olson	Stability Balls
Chaska	Lindsey Rettmann	KLA Literacy Link
Dakota County United Educators	Ann Strey	Model, Practice, Grow: A Writer in Residence Experience
Dakota County United Educators	Kylee Spencer	Classroom Guitars
Dakota County United Educators	Cindy Nordstrom	Audio Books Now Available
Delano	Amy Koecheler	Community Integration
Elk River	Therese Seitz	Improving Science Teaching and Learning
Forest Lake	Lorna Larson	ELL Interactive Learning
Fridley	MaryBridget Leba	ELL Listening Library
Hawley	Michaela Ludwig	Where in the World is Anne Frank?
Hiawatha Valley	Allen Nelson	Interdisciplinary Cultural Career Awareness
Intermediate District 287	Lyla Peterson	Sensory and Emotional Awareness for Students with FASD
Minneapolis	Sara Lapp	Second-Grade Integrated Social Skills Drumming Circle
Minneapolis	Nell Graham	Therapeutic Swimming for Autism Kindergarten
Minneota	Renae Hanson	Soaring and Scoring with Learning Centers
Montevideo	Karinda Groothuis	On the Ball
Moorhead	Diane Thiel	Developing M.I.L.K. (Managed Independent Learning Kid Stations)
Mounds View	Karen Forest	Health and Fitness
Mounds View	Sarah Levinski	Enhancing Work Readiness Skills Through Student-run Business
North Branch	Donna Johnson	Vertical Teaming
Osseo	Donna Ohlgren	W.A.L.K. (We Are Literate Kids) Club
Owatonna	Adam Ansorge	Electrathon
Robbinsdale	Kris Laughlin	Improving Highview Attendance
St. Paul	Kari Rise	A World in Two Cities
Wabasso	Corinna Erickson	We're on the Ball!
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley	Colby Marich	DDR
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley	Bradley Johnson	Digital Art
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley	Staci Marich	Creativity Fair
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown	David Wollin	Acting the Part
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown	Patty Pettis	Ninth-Grade Transitions
Wright Technical Center	Rebecca Foster	South Dakota Field Trip