Toyota Tapestry Grants

The Toyota Tapestry grants program offers 50 grants of up to $10,000 each and a minimum of 20 mini-grants of $2,500 each to K-12 science teachers. Grants will be awarded in the three categories of Environmental Science Education, Physical Science Applications, and Literacy and Science Education. The proposal deadline is January 18, 2007.

For more information, visit www.nsta.org/programs/tapestry/program.

Teacher Incentive Fund

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education announces the Teacher Incentive Fund, whose purpose is to support programs that develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need schools. The specific goals of the Teacher Incentive Fund include: improving student achievement by increasing teacher and principal effectiveness; reforming teacher and principal compensation systems so that teachers and principals are rewarded for increases in student achievement; increasing the number of effective teachers teaching poor, minority, and disadvantaged students in hard-to-staff subjects; and creating sustainable performance-based compensation systems.

Eligible applicants include local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are LEAs in their state; state educational agencies (SEAs); or partnerships of (a) an LEA, an SEA, or both, and (b) at least one non-profit organization. The deadline for notice of intent to apply is June 15; the application deadline is July 31.The project period is up to 60 months.

For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2006-2/050106e.html