2008 cohort of grantees
michele alford
4th Grade, Parkside Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: No Child Left Behind with an Interactive Classroom
Mrs. Alford’s project purchased laptop computers and made them available for Parkside Elementary students to check out for use at home. The goal of the program was to boost student achievement by increasing student engagement, research and reference skills, and the number of technology-based projects that reflect the current curriculum.
makini colvin
Kindergarten, John Wesley Dobbs Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: Integrating Content Area Texts in Reading and Writing Instruction
Ms. Colvin’s project strengthened kindergarten students learning in science, social studies, and math through literacy. This was achieved through incorporating Read-Alouds, guided and independent reading, and shared writing to effectively teach social studies, science and math content.
megan dossman
3rd Grade, Fred Armon Toomer Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: Cougars Go Green!
Ms. Dosmann’s project used an implementation guide from the Keep Georgia Beautiful organization to start a recycling program at Toomer. Ms. Dosmann created a “green team” where students and faculty members had the opportunity to actively participate in an authentic problem-solving situation, which would potentially reduce the amount of Toomer’s paper waste by 70%.
Jennifer freeman
7th Grade, Austin T. Walden Middle School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: Science Outside the Classroom
Ms. Freeman’s project took a select group of students who mastered 85% or more of the Georgia Performance Standards to the Jekyll Island 4-H Education Center in the spring. The trip gave students the opportunity to experience life science in a natural setting and apply the skills they learned in the classroom to real-life situations in an ecological habitat.
tamara guilday
4th Grade, Warren T. Jackson Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: Developing a Sense of Civic Pride
Mrs. Guilday’s project developed students’ sense of civic responsibility by visiting local historic sites. Students visited places including the Atlanta History Center, the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, the Herndon Home and other locations and were able to connect statewide Social Studies standards to local institutions.
javonne paul Stewart
7th Grade, Samuel M. Inman Middle School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: Educator Workshops: Cultural Connections & Cultural Traditions!
Mrs. Paul Stewart’s project delivered professional development to educators by equipping them with instructional strategies that were specifically geared toward increasing the academic achievement of African American boys. This research-based project had a long-term goal of closing the achievement gap that exists between African American boys and other groups of students.
lorraine reich
Principal, Warren T. Jackson Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: 21st Century-Smart Boards!
Dr. Reich’s project created a technology lab with a 21st century Smart Board and LCD projector. This lab served as a facility for staff technology training and a place where teachers could bring their classes for interactive, technology-based lessons.
Jean Romain
PE, M. Agnes Jones Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: The Dream Screen: Learning Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
Dr. Romain’s project implemented blue-screen technology at her school, so students could write and star in action films about the human body. The goal was to improve academic achievement by making learning a real life event and showing how Physical Education connects students to the larger world around them.
supreme understanding
5th Grade, Elijah Lewis Connally Elementary School
Atlanta Public Schools
Project: K-5 Interactive Science Lab
Dr. Understanding’s project purchased and developed a science lab that allowed students to complete standards-based activities and experiments that improved student achievement in science and increased the involvement of Connally students in the district-wide science fair.