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Introducing the 2005 IMPACT II Catalog of
Award-Winning Teacher Projects to be Used in K-12 Classrooms
 A
BRIEF HISTORY
The WESTCHESTER/ROCKLAND IMPACT II Program represents a network
of school districts working through Southern Westchester BOCES to
provide funds which enable teachers to share creative and effective
educational programs. Initially funded by an Exxon Education Foundation
Grant, Impact II currently operates with donations of monies and
in-kind services from Westchester and Rockland businesses and local
school districts. This affiliation of Westchester and Rockland counties
has enabled the program to span the Hudson River, thereby connecting
teachers from many individual districts.
In a day of tight budgets and shrinking resources, teachers are
challenged with creatively dealing with both instructional and social
issues. IMPACT II helps to meet these challenges. Learning all the
exciting results produced by the IMPACT II network in nearby New
York City and in Houston, Texas, Rockland County began its program
in 1984 to help give dedicated teachers the recognition they richly
deserved, and the opportunity to share innovative ideas with other
educators. After a successful first year, Rockland joined with Southern
Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services to form a
collaborative, thereby expanding the pool of creative and effective
educators who could participate in the newly formed Westchester/Rockland
IMPACT II alliance.
HOW IMPACT II IS MAKING ITS IMPACT
Recent research findings indicate that bright, creative young people
do not consider the teaching profession a viable career path. More
and more frequently, exemplary teaching professionals opt to leave
education. Individuals remaining in teaching have lost much of their
initial enthusiasm. IMPACT II serves to ameliorate this phenomenon.
WESTCHESTER/ROCKLAND IMPACT II supports a host of activities which
include funding developer grants, adaptor/replicator grants, and
projected grants for research development projects. IMPACT II stipends
allow grant winners to demonstrate their programs through teacher
centers, college and university courses, fairs and catalog dissemination.
Training on how to present a workshop is given to all grant winners,
and many of these staff members have been spurred on to become mentors
or teacher trainers both in their own schools and in other districts.
This type of recognition raises the teachers’ self-esteem,
reduces the sense of isolation in their profession, and keeps the
spark of creativity kindled.
WESTCHESTER/ROCKLAND IMPACT II predicates its philosophy on recognizing
exemplary teacher-developed programs as a necessary vehicle which
transmits enrichment to the teaching profession. The motto of IMPACT
II is Take An Idea and Go Creative. This theme is currently networking
teachers from coast to coast and we are proud to be a part of this
growing IMPACT II community.
THE CONTENT
This catalog contains profiles
of the twenty exemplary developer programs and ten TeachNet projects
chosen for 2004-05 Westchester/Rockland IMPACT II Grant awards.
These profiles describe school-based projects which can be shared
with other teachers in the Westchester/Rockland network who wish
to adapt these programs in their own classrooms.
PROGRAM PROFILES
Each profile is arranged to give the prospective adaptor teacher
all the information necessary for initial contact with the developer
teacher.
- THE PROGRAM - a brief description of the program, including
subject area, content and objectives
- THE STUDENT - a description of the students who have been part
of the program, with suggestions for adaptability
- THE STAFF - information about the developer and the staffing
needs of the program
- MATERIALS/FACILITIES - a description of the materials and facilities
needed to implement the program
- OUTSIDE RESOURCES - recommendations and suggestions for outside
resources
- OVERALL VALUE - an insight into the effectiveness of the program,
and its contribution to education
- NYS LEARNING STANDARDS/PERFORMANCE INDICATORS- identifies the
Standards and Performance Indicators supported by this program
- RECOMMENDED FUNDING - developers suggest reasonable funding
of their programs for potential adaptors
ADAPTOR AWARDS
An Adaptor Award application is provided at the back of this catalog
for your use. Please duplicate and share it, and this catalog, with
your colleagues. Please note: The maximum Adaptor Award is $200.00
Programs which require a higher funding level are indicated with
an asterisk (*). These programs will receive the maximum award,
but will require supplemental support.
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