Teacher Resources
International Opportunities | Environmental Education Resources | Grants and Awards
International Opportunities for Teachers
| PROGRAM NAME | DESCRIPTION | ELIGIBILITY | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARMADA Project | The ARMADA Project administered by the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography places also places K-12 teachers on oceanographic vessels. The focus is on ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring. | To apply you must have at least five years of full time teaching experience and be a certified secondary science teacher or an elementary teacher actively engaged in teaching science. | Click here |
| Department of Defense Dependents Schools | This program is a worldwide school system, operated by the Department of Defense (DoD) in foreign countries. Its mission is to provide a quality education from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 for the eligible minor family members of Dod military and civilian personnel on official overseas assignments. There are opportunities in: Bahrain, Cuba, Italy (Sigonella), Korea, Japan (Misawa and Okinawa), Portugal (Azores), Turkey, Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. | Please visit the website for application instructions | Click here |
| Earthwatch Institute | The Earthwatch Institute offers fellowships to teachers on many of their expeditions in the field. You generally have to pay your own airfare, they pay the rest. | All current K-12 teachers are eligible to apply. | Click here |
| Educators to Saudi Arabia Program | The Educators to Saudi Arabia Program aims to cultivate a greater awareness and understanding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in U.S. primary and secondary schools and communities. Additionally, the Educators to Saudi Arabia Program seeks to encourage teachers to establish creative means of sharing this understanding with their students, colleagues and communities.The Educators to Saudi Arabia Program will examine Saudi education, culture, history and global relations through site visits, panel discussions and cultural activities in the cities of Dhahran, Riyadh and Jeddah. | Teachers must be employed as a full-time classroom teacher in grades 1-12 with a primary concentration in Social Studies or work full-time as a Library Media Specialist; Have a minimum of three years full-time teaching experience and be a U.S. citizen | Click here |
| Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program | This program provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities for the purpose of improving their understanding and knowledge of the people and culture of other countries. There are approximately 10 seminars with 16 participants in each seminar annually. Seminars are four to six weeks in duration and are conducted in the summer. | • Elementary School Teachers. • Middle or High School Teachers in fields of social sciences or humanities, including languages. • Middle or High School Teachers in fields of social sciences or humanities, including languages. • Administrators or Curriculum Specialists who have responsibility for curriculum in fields of social sciences or humanities, including languages. • Faculty or Administrators from institutions of higher education—public or private, two- or four-year—in the fields of social sciences or humanities, including languages. • Librarians, Museum Educators, Media or Resource Specialists who have responsibility for curricula, at the education levels noted above, in fields of social sciences or humanities, including languages. | Click here |
| Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program | For U.S. teachers, this opportunity involves a year, semester or six-week direct exchange of teaching positions with a counterpart in another country teaching the same subject(s) at the same level. Fulbright program staff in the U.S. and abroad match U.S. and overseas candidates in the spring of each year. Fulbright staff then propose matched-exchanges that each candidate and each school involved in the application process must approve before final selection to the program takes place. | Eligibility varies by country. See website for specific eligibility. | Click here |
| Fund for Teachers | The Fund for Teachers gives grants for self-designed summer sabbaticals, but not all school districts are eligible. | Eligibility varies by district. Please click here to determine if you are eligible. | Click here |
| GEEO | GEEO is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and assisting as many teachers as possible to travel abroad and then share their experiences with their students upon their return to the classroom. GEEO operates trips at a fee run by established tour companies that specialize in budget travel. GEEO partners with these companies and negotiates substantial discounts on these trips and offers them exclusively to educators. GEEO also gives advice to teachers seeking grants to subsidize the cost of their trip.These trips are 2-3 weeks in length and are limited to 10-18 teachers and their traveling companions. These trips are customized to include activities that will be particularly interesting to teachers, such as school visits. Graduate and professional development credits are available to participating teachers. | There is no application process for our trips and they are offered on a first come, first serve basis. However, participating teachers are required to initiate the GEEO education plan upon their return. This simple, easy to implement system is designed to help teachers share their experience with their students. | Click here |
| Goethe-Institute: Study Tour to Germany | Experience is what the Transatlantic Outreach Program is all about. Since 2001, the TOP program has sought to find the best and most qualified K-12 social studies educators in the United States and give them the opportunity to experience Modern Germany in the most dramatic way possible: in person. From Munich to Nürnberg, from Lake Constance to the Black Forest, from Dresden to Weimar, and from Frankfurt to Berlin, each corner of Germany is sampled through sight, sound, touch, and taste! | K-12 Social Studies educators, Social Studies university methods professors, Social Studies curriculum coordinators, applicable authors, and applicable State Departments of Education employees | Click here |
| Keizai Koho Center Teacher Fellowship | The ten day itinerary in Japan will include time in Tokyo; tours of major industrial and corporate facilities; meetings with key business leaders; meetings with government officials, educators, and business people; school visits; discussions with teachers and students; and a home stay with a Japanese family. Typically, there is at least one scheduled visit to a destination outside of Tokyo. | • High School classroom teachers of Economics, Social Studies and History (grades 8-12) • Supervisors, specialists, and school administrators at the district and state levels; and • Faculty associated with 4 year colleges who are directly concerned with the training of K-12 teachers. | Click here |
| Korean Studies Workshop for American Educators | The workshop will include lectures, tours to cultural and industrial sites, and meetings with Korean educators and students. Lectures covering the politics, economy, history, culture, and society of Korea will be delivered in English by university professors or other experts. Up to 100 participants will be divided into two groups of 50. | Employed full-time as a secondary (6th thru 12th grade) teacher of social studies, OR a secondary school principal or assistant principal, OR a curriculum coordinator with influence over social studies curriculum in secondary schools, OR a textbook writer with influence over social studies curriculum or textbooks for secondary schools, OR a superintendent or assistant superintendent. | Click here |
| NASA's Spaceward Bound | NASA's Spaceward Bound sends teachers to extreme environments like deserts, mountaintops, and the arctic to participate in astrobiology/ Mars analog field camps. | Click here | |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Teacher at Sea Program | The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Teacher at Sea (TAS) program is to give teachers a clearer insight into our ocean planet, a greater understanding of maritime work and studies, and to increase their level of environmental literacy by fostering an interdisciplinary research experience. The program provides a unique environment for learning and teaching by sending kindergarten through college-level teachers to sea aboard NOAA research and survey ships to work under the tutelage of scientists and crew. All costs are covered by the program; airfare is purchased up front by the program and all other costs (transportation, hotel, per diem) are reimbursed. | Eligibility includes employment as a K-12 teacher or administrator; community college, college, or university instuctor; a museum or aquarium instructor; or an adult education teacher. | Click here |
| Pearl Harbor: History, Memory, Memorial | Pearl Harbor: History, Memory, Memorial, the Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop for school teachers is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) under the We the People Initiative. The program is also made possible thanks to the support of the Arizona Memorial Museum Association, the National Park Service and Japan-American Society of Hawaii. | 40 teachers per session, is designed principally for middle and high school classroom educators teaching humanities subjects in public, private, parochial, and charter schools, as well as home-schooling parents. Other K-12 school personnel, including those who teach non-humanities content as well as administrators, substitute teachers, classroom paraprofessionals, and librarians, are eligible to participate, subject to available space. | Click here |
| PolarTrec | PolarTREC sends teachers to the Arctic and to Antarctica. The focus is on science. | Teachers and researchers, formal and informal, are eligible to apply. | Click here |
| Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies | The program's seventeen-day schedule will include lectures and discussions on Korean history, culture, politics, economics, arts and language. Also included will be opportunities for on-site study of locales of historical and contemporary relevance. During the final week, the participants will be given a limited amount of time for independent research and exploration. | Applications are invited from social studies and language arts educators, including K-12 classroom teachers and professors or instructors in schools of education. | Click here |
| Summer Seminars and Institutes for School Teachers | The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent grant-making agency of the federal government. Each year the NEH offers teachers opportunities to study humanities topics in a variety of Summer Seminars and Institutes. The dates and duration of each project are listed under each title. Foreign travel includes England, Spain,Italy, East Europe and Austria. | Full-time teachers in American K-12 schools, whether public, private, or church-affiliated, as well as home-schooling parents, are eligible to apply to seminars and institutes. Americans teaching abroad are also eligible if a majority of the students they teach are American citizens. Librarians and school administrators may also be eligible. Applicants should consult the guidelines and application information received directly from seminar and institute directors concerning any additional eligibility requirements specific to the project. | Click here |
| Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica | Program participants will travel along the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, meeting and talking with community leaders, observing students and teachers, and working with scientists to learn how Costa Ricans are balancing community development and environmental conservation. They will see how innovative strategies are being implemented in the areas of development, agronomy, conservation and education. Selected teachers will also experience first-hand the majestic rainforest while making personal connections with the people who live and work there. | Teachers of all classroom disciplines and teacher-librarians in grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply. Teachers also must have 3 years full-time experience and be a U.S. citizen. | Apply here |
| Toyota International Teacher Program to the Galapagos Islands | Teachers will explore the Galapagos Islands, a designated World Heritage site, are located 1000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. This isolated island chain is home to some of the world's most unique animals and ecosystems. With a population of over 28,000 people living on 3% of the land, and host to more than 60,000 visitors per year, the islands are at the forefront of the study of environmental sustainability, stewardship and the delicate balance of humans and nature. | Teachers of all classroom disciplines and teacher-librarians in grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply. Teachers also must have 3 years full-time experience and be a U.S. citizen. | Apply here |
Environmental Education Resources
| PROGRAM NAME | DESCRIPTION | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom Earth, National Environmental Education Foundation | Classroom earth is an online resource designed to help high school teachers include environmental content into their daily lesson plans. Resources are available for all subjects, including foreign language, language arts, social studies, science, math, and the arts. The program also offers three competitive grants, two for teachers initiating environmental education projects, and one for students involved in school or community environmental projects. | Click here |
| Earthday Network | The Earthday Network offers a network of more than 25,000 teachers nationwide, over 300 standard-based lessons, school greening tips, and grants for teachers to help bring environmental education to schools. Earthday’s National GREEN Schools Campaign, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and The Clinton Foundation, aims to green all of America's K-12 schools within a generation. | Click here |
| Interpretation and Education | The National Park Service offers various resources for cultural and environmental education online (of particular relevance to math, science, and history teachers), including curriculum, data sets, distance learning, materials for loan, suggested readings, and fieldtrip planning. It also offers professional development opportunities for teachers, such as the Teacher-to-Ranger-to-Teacher program which allows teachers to be park rangers for a summer. Finally, NPS parks and sites across the country yield numerous opportunities for hands-on learning and environmental-appreciation development. | Click here |
| My Grant Wrangler | The purpose of this site it to share your experiences as a grant seeker, grant writer, grant winner, or grant giver. | Click here |
| Project Learning Tree | PLT is a multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in PreK-grade 12. It offers environmental curriculum training and materials that meet state and national education standards, with topics ranging from forests, wildlife, and water, to community planning, waste management and energy. The curriculum guides students through “a process that begins with awareness, moves to knowledge, challenges preconceived ideas, and seeks constructive avenues for environmental action.” Training workshops are offered throughout the United States by state coordinators and are either free or for a nominal fee. GreenWorks!, a service-learning, community action program of PLT provides grants of up to $5,000 to help fund neighborhood environmental improvement projects that partner PLT educators and their students with local businesses or community organizations. Applicants must be PLT-trained and grants are available in both fall and spring. | Click here |
| PROGRAM NAME | DESCRIPTION | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Planet Foundation Grants | The Captain Planet Foundation offers grants to promote the understanding of environmental issues through hands-on involvement. The Foundation accepts applications four times each year for projects. Grants range from $250 to $2,500 and most schools are eligible. | Click here |
| Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching | The program sends highly accomplished primary and secondary teachers from the U.S. abroad and brings international teachers to the U.S for a three to six month long program. In 2009-2010, the participating countries are: Argentina, Finland, India, Israel, Singapore, and South Africa. | Click here |
| DonorsChoose.org Classroom Projects | The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $4.1 million grant to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that connects individual "citizen philanthropists" with classrooms in need. The grant will enable the organization to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of classroom projects developed by teachers to promote college-readiness among students in high-need and underserved urban and rural public schools. The initiative, Double Your Impact, will support more than 17,000 classroom projects involving more than 300,000 students across the country. Through the DonorsChoose.org Web site, teachers can describe specific educational projects for their classrooms while individuals choose which projects they'd like to fund. Projects that can be funded through the site include student trips to college campuses, books for the classroom, SAT/ACT preparation materials, and other resources that enhance the learning experience. | Click here |
| Earthday Network | The Earthday Network offers a network of more than 25,000 teachers nationwide, over 300 standard-based lessons, school greening tips, and grants for teachers to help bring environmental education to schools. Earthday’s National GREEN Schools Campaign, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and The Clinton Foundation, aims to green all of America's K-12 schools within a generation. | Click here |
| Environmental Education Grant Program | The Grants Program sponsored by EPA's Environmental Education Division supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. A teacher's school district, an educator's not-for-profit organization, or a faculty member's college or university may apply, but an individual teacher is not eligible. | Click here |
| Elgin-Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award | The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese language, and consists of a certificate of recognition, a $2,500 monetary award, and $5,000 in project funds. It is named in honor of Elgin Heinz for his commitment to educating students about Asia as well as for the inspiration he has provided to the field of pre-college education. | Click here |
| Green Your School Contest | The Student Conservation Association's Green Your School Contest is a national competition to stimulate and/or identify conservation service projects designed by high school students that improve, restore, beautify, or conserve their high school environment. To be eligible, projects must have been begun after August 1, 2008. Entries must be completed by a student and will be judged according to the following criteria: the project has or will improve the environmental health of the school; the project is sustainable; the project is initiated by students and engages other students, teachers, and school administrators; the submission itself is of high quality; and the project engaged the community. There will be one Grand Prize of $5,000, and two runner-up prizes of $2,500 each. Prizes will be awarded directly to high schools and not to individuals. | Click here |
| Hydroponics Education Grants | The Grow Store and ProgressiveGardening.org have joined with the National Gardening Association to offer hydroponic equipment to expand indoor gardening opportunities for elementary and middle and high school students. The program will provide thirty-six schools with equipment and learning materials for hydroponics projects that involve at least fifteen children between the ages of 6 and 18 during the 2010 school year. Applicants must verify that their facility can accommodate the equipment in the award packages available for their age group. | Click here |
| KIDS Consortium | The Kids Involved Doing Service-Learning Consortium, a nonprofit organization that serves schools and community groups in Maine and throughout New England, and the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, are offering mini-grants for green service-learning projects developed by K-12 schools in New England. Grants of up to $750 each will support service-learning projects addressing topics such as energy efficiency and recycling proposed by K-12 educators, students, and community organizations working with youth. Funded projects must solve a problem or address a local need related to making schools and neighborhoods healthier and more environmentally sustainable. | Click here |
| Mantis Awards for Community and Youth Gardens | The Mantis Awards provide in-kind grants to educational projects that actively engage kids in gardens and improve the quality of life for their communities. | Click here |
| Recycling Bin Grant Program | The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program supports local community recycling programs by providing bins to selected grant recipients to increase the collection of beverage container recyclables in public and school settings. | Click here |
| Teacher Forestry Tours | Each summer, the Temperate Forest Foundation organizes three-day woods and mill tours for science and social studies teachers, grades 3rd-8th, in various regions throughout North America. The tours focus on the social, economic, and ecological aspects of sustainable forestry and seek to give teachers the first-hand experience and knowledge necessary to help their students think critically and make informed choices. Teachers are sponsored by a local business, association, or agency, which pays a US$700 registration fee and round-trip travel expenses. The Tours qualify for two undergraduate or graduate credits from the University of Idaho and most teachers are eligible to obtain continuing education credits for participating on Tour. | Click here |
| Toyota TAPESTRY Grant | A partnership between Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and the National Science Teachers Association, the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program offers grants to K–12 science teachers for innovative projects that enhance science education in the school and/or school district. 50 large grants and a minimum of 20 mini-grants, totaling $550,000 in all, will be awarded this year. To apply for funding, qualified teachers must write a Toyota TAPESTRY proposal according to the proposal requirements. | Click here |
| Youth Garden Grant Program | The National Gardening Association (NGA) awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with youth-centered garden programs. Applicants must plan to garden in 2009 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. | Click here |