Develop A Grant-Focused Discussion Describing A Project To S ✓ Solved

Develop a grant-focused discussion describing a project to s

Develop a grant-focused discussion describing a project to support unruly high school students by improving classroom management, promoting effective learning, and increasing graduation rates. Identify and discuss three potential funding sources and explain how each aligns with the project goals.

Paper For Above Instructions

Executive Summary

This grant-focused discussion outlines a project to support high school students exhibiting chronic disruptive or "unruly" behavior through evidence-based classroom management, multi-tiered supports, teacher professional learning, and family engagement. The project’s primary aims are to reduce classroom disruption, raise instructional time, improve student academic outcomes, and ultimately increase graduation rates. Three potential funding sources are reviewed for alignment: U.S. Department of Education competitive grants, federal Pell grant-related student support resources, and philanthropic support from the Annenberg Foundation. Implementation, evaluation, and sustainability plans are summarized.

Needs Statement and Rationale

Persistent disruptive behavior reduces learning time, increases teacher burnout, and contributes to drop-out risk (Simonsen et al., 2008). High schools with elevated behavioral incidents show lower graduation rates and widening achievement gaps (RAND Corporation, 2011). A combined strategy—improving classroom management practices, implementing schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and integrating restorative approaches—addresses both behavior and academic outcomes (Horner & Sugai, 2015; Emmer & Evertson, 2016). This project fills the gap between existing academic supports and targeted behavioral interventions by resourcing teacher training, student-level supports, and family engagement.

Project Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Reduce disruptive classroom incidents by 30% within two academic years through teacher training and schoolwide behavior frameworks.

Goal 2: Increase on-task instructional time and student engagement as measured by classroom observations and teacher reports (Simonsen et al., 2008).

Goal 3: Improve graduation rates among participating cohorts by 10% over three years through integrated academic and behavioral supports (RAND Corporation, 2011).

Program Design and Activities

1. Professional Learning: Provide ongoing, job-embedded coaching for teachers on evidence-based classroom management strategies (Emmer & Evertson, 2016) and implementation of PBIS (Horner & Sugai, 2015).

2. Tiered Student Supports: Implement Tier 2 interventions for students with moderate behaviors (small-group social skills, mentoring) and Tier 3 individualized plans for students with severe behaviors, linking to school counselors and community partners (National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2019).

3. Restorative Practices and Family Engagement: Integrate restorative circles and family outreach to address underlying social factors and build stakeholder buy-in (American Psychological Association, 2019).

4. Data Systems and Evaluation: Use behavior incident tracking, classroom observation tools, and academic metrics to monitor fidelity and outcomes; employ continuous improvement cycles (Wallace Foundation, 2013).

Alignment with Potential Funding Sources

U.S. Department of Education competitive grants: The U.S. Department of Education funds programs that promote academic achievement and improve school climate, teacher quality, and equitable access to education (U.S. Department of Education, 2020). This project’s focus on evidence-based instruction, teacher professional development, and measurable student outcomes aligns strongly with ED priorities and competitive grant criteria (U.S. Department of Education, 2020). Proposed activities—training, PBIS implementation, and evaluation—match typical allowable uses for ED grants, making federal grant competitions a primary target.

Federal Pell grant-related supports (student success funding): While Pell Grants themselves are student financial aid and not direct program grants, federal student aid programs and associated student-support initiatives prioritize keeping students in school and addressing barriers to completion (Federal Student Aid, 2015). The project could leverage campus-based student success funds or partner with postsecondary institutions receiving Pell-eligible students to secure ancillary funding for transition supports, counseling, or career-readiness components that help reduce dropout risk (Federal Student Aid, 2015).

Annenberg Foundation philanthropic grants: The Annenberg Foundation funds innovative, cross-sector approaches that address social problems affecting education access and quality (Annenberg Foundation, 2018). This project’s combination of social-emotional supports, restorative practices, and community engagement fits philanthropic priorities for innovation and equity. Annenberg funding could underwrite pilot implementation, rigorous evaluation, and dissemination—activities foundations commonly support to seed scalable models (Annenberg Foundation, 2018).

Evaluation and Evidence

Evaluation will include process and outcome measures: fidelity of teacher coaching (observation checklists), changes in office discipline referrals, suspension rates, student attendance, course performance, and graduation rates. Pre-post and comparison-group analyses will determine impact. The evidence base for classroom management and multi-tiered systems suggests meaningful reductions in disruptions and improvements in achievement when interventions are implemented with fidelity (Simonsen et al., 2008; Horner & Sugai, 2015).

Budget Overview and Sustainability

Key budget categories include teacher coaching stipends, professional development trainers, data system licenses, counseling staff time, and evaluation costs. Short-term philanthropic or federal seed funding can finance initial rollout; sustainability will be pursued through district budget integration, state support for proven innovations, and partnerships with higher-education institutions drawing on Pell-related transition resources (Grant.gov; Federal Student Aid, 2015). Demonstrated outcomes and cost-effectiveness are critical to securing ongoing district or state funding (Wallace Foundation, 2013).

Implementation Timeline

Year 1: Planning, baseline data collection, and pilot in 3–5 schools. Years 2–3: Scale up to additional schools, ongoing coaching, and formative evaluation. Year 4: Final outcome analysis and development of sustainability plan and dissemination resources (toolkits, webinars).

Conclusion

This project is designed to reduce disruptive behavior, increase instructional time, and improve graduation outcomes through evidence-based classroom management, PBIS, restorative practices, and robust evaluation. The project aligns well with U.S. Department of Education grant priorities, can leverage federal student-support linkages associated with Pell-eligible populations, and is attractive to philanthropic funders like the Annenberg Foundation for pilot and dissemination support. With measured implementation and strong outcome data, the project can scale and become a sustainable model for improving school climate and student success (Simonsen et al., 2008; Horner & Sugai, 2015; RAND Corporation, 2011).

References

  • U.S. Department of Education. (2020). Grants. https://www.ed.gov/grants (U.S. Department of Education, 2020)
  • Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. (2015). Federal Pell Grant Program. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell (Federal Student Aid, 2015)
  • Annenberg Foundation. (2018). Grantmaking. https://www.annenberg.org/what-we-do/grantmaking (Annenberg Foundation, 2018)
  • Grant.gov. (n.d.). Find grants. https://www.grants.gov (Grant.gov, n.d.)
  • Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351–380. (Simonsen et al., 2008)
  • Horner, R. H., & Sugai, G. (2015). School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. In Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. (Horner & Sugai, 2015)
  • Emmer, E. T., & Evertson, C. M. (2016). Classroom management for middle and high school teachers. (Wadsworth). (Emmer & Evertson, 2016)
  • RAND Corporation. (2011). Improving classroom behavior and learning: Research findings. https://www.rand.org (RAND Corporation, 2011)
  • Wallace Foundation. (2013). Lessons on improving school leadership and practice. https://www.wallacefoundation.org (Wallace Foundation, 2013)
  • National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. (2019). Addressing behavior in schools. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov (National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2019)

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