Application for Participation in a Study of Nature-Based Interventions Designed to Improve Student Performance on Their Standardized Testing. The Participation Grant is Valued at $2,000

About the Grant

This grant involves a mentored implementation of practical low-cost and no-cost nature-based interventions designed to improve student performance on standardized tests and to measure their impact. All student data will be collected on an anonymous basis.  The grant ($2,000 value) provides a virtual visit and ongoing consultations with Elizabeth Gross, Jo Watson Hackl and their team with participating faculty and students over the course of four weeks leading up to and following the standardized testing. A limited number of schools will be awarded the grant.  The grant can be implemented in spring or fall 2024 or spring 2025.

The educators and schools who receive this grant are expected to participate fully in the planning and implementation process.

Grant applications are due by July 1, 2024.

Please email Lindsay@Johackl.com with any questions about the application process.

About the Facilitators

Elizabeth Gross is Assistant Professor of Library Science & Technology at The College of Education at Sam Houston State University. She has taught information literacy (research and critical thinking) skills to k-12 students, their teachers, and their parents since 2001. Digital equity is important to her and she helps teachers solve this problem by finding solutions that work in their communities. She has increased student reading in every library in which she has worked. She also is an instructional designer with interactive technology skills and has earned a PhD in this discipline. She also has a background in research for various subjects, from medicine to fashion. Her passion is to reach out to and empower children of all ages to be the best version of themselves they can be. Her specialties include instructional design and development, adult learning theory, interactive technology best practices,  and school libraries.

Jo Watson Hackl is the Founder of https://Outdoorosity.org, a free source of information and inspiration about nature. She is also the best-selling author of Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe (Random House Children’s Books), which won the Southern Book Prize and is an Amazon Teacher’s Pick. Jo is a Liberty Fellow, a Riley Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She has presented to over 23,000 educators, students, and other professionals and regularly presents at national and international conferences.

Grant Application and Selection Process

The educators and schools who receive this grant are expected to participate fully in the planning and implementation process, which requires a significant time commitment. Interested educators are required to submit a grant application and finalists are required to participate in an interview process, conducted virtually. The application form is below.

All participating educators are required to be actively involved throughout the implementation and evaluation process. Administrative support and cooperation are important to planning a successful program, so be sure to discuss this with your principal and all educators who would be affected by this program. In selecting schools to participate, consideration will be given to a variety of factors, the most important of which are the quality of your proposal and the motivation of applicants. In particular, well-planned implementation of this program, feedback and data collection are required. Participating schools should be prepared to report data on an aggregate basis (with no individual identifying data) on interventions used and student outcomes on standardized testing compared to a control group of students who did not receive the interventions.

Grant proposals are reviewed by a selected committee of readers. Face-to-face virtual interviews are required for educators under final consideration. Participating educator(s), along with the principal or assistant principal, are required to attend this interview. The final decision will be based on this interview, along with the written proposal.

The grant application form is below. Feel free to contact Lindsay@JoHackl.com with questions about the application process or the program. 

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Email *
School *
District *
School Physical Address *
School Phone *
School Email *
Contact Educator *
Cell Phone *
Full Job Title *
Grade levels with whom you work *
Email Address *
Number of years in your position *
Requested start date for grant implementation: *
Required
Standardized test on which you would like to focus the interventions and administration date: *
What motivates you to apply for this grant?
How many classrooms would you like to participate in the implementation of this grant? *
What are the grade level(s) of the classrooms that you would like to participate in the implementation of this grant? *
Have you previously incorporated nature into your school physical space or programming?  If so, please describe what you have done in this area and any observed impact on student engagement or outcomes. If not, please write "N/A" in the space below. *
Is your school a Title 1 school? *
Required
Please affirm that you have the approval of your principal or assistant principal and to agree to the statements below:

Before applying, educators and administrators should be aware of the responsibilities included with successful receipt of this grant. If you have any questions, please contact Lindsay@JoHackl.com. 
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