2021 Educational Leadership Grants
The Governor’s Academy
Byfield, MA
Coastal Studies Center & Institute
To capitalize on its unique location on the banks of the Parker River and Great Marsh and deepen its commitment to experiential learning, The Governor’s Academy, New England’s oldest boarding school, plans to construct a state-of-the-art, 6,800-square foot coastal studies center, the Alfond Center. It will include a wet lab fed by water drawn from the river, a workshop, classrooms, and accommodations for a scientist in residence. There, students will engage in original scientific research, learn sophisticated field research skills, and contribute to the local scientific community’s ongoing study of these local ecosystems.
As part of the Alfond Center, Governor’s will establish the Bass Institute to support a range of programmatic initiatives. The E.E. Ford Foundation grant will fund the full-time director and part-time science outreach coordinator positions. These leadership positions will initiate, guide, and support faculty members in developing innovative approaches to teaching that engage students in real-life science experiments. Partnerships with scientists, laboratories, research institutes, and non-profit organizations will allow Governor's faculty to offer a cutting edge educational experience in the field of science, and will also contribute meaningfully to the advancement of regional scientific research and investigation. Furthermore, the Alfond Center and Bass Institute will serve as a template for other academic areas, generating innovative intellectual experiences across the Governor’s curriculum.
Grant Amount: $250,000
Match: 1:4
Laurel School
Washington, DC
To support the launch of a semester-long immersive, academic program as a cornerstone of Laurel's Environmental Justice Institute for Girls.
Grant Amount: $250,000
Match: 1:1
Marymount School of New York
New York, NY
Marymount School of New York has become a leader in STEAM and maker education by creating an environment where girls are confident experimenting and taking risks, providing course content that is engaging and relatable, connecting students with mentors and role models, and appealing to our students’ desire to make a meaningful difference in their world. The School believes it can scale this model to help educators unlock the transformative power of an entrepreneurial mindset and bring students together to amplify the power of their ideas. As the School prepares to open its permanent second home in East Harlem in Fall 2023, Marymount seeks to expand its partnership with neighborhood schools in an effort to broaden access to innovative teaching and learning in our local community.
Thanks to a $250,000 educational leadership grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, the School will establish Marymount’s Accelerator for Design and Entrepreneurship (MADE) in East Harlem. MADE in East Harlem will provide immersive, ongoing professional development for educators in entrepreneurship and design thinking, as well as opportunities for educators and students to engage in constructivist learning as they work together to develop a product, system, or service that seeks to solve a challenge in their community. This project fulfills a vital part of the Marymount mission and positions Marymount’s new school building as a resource for all in the community to inspire and empower the next generation of young women to take leadership roles in fields where females have been historically underrepresented.
Grant Amount: $250,000
Match: 1:1
William Penn Charter School
Philadelphia, PA
The Independent School Teaching Fellows of Greater Philadelphia
The William Penn Charter School and the Community Partnership School in Philadelphia, PA began a collaboration in the development of The Urban Teaching Fellows Program during the 2018-2019 school year. The program seeks to recruit, train, and retain talented college graduates of color to become effective and creative educators through a two-year process.
The teaching fellows are provided with an in-depth experience in traditional classroom training in lower, middle, and upper school classrooms, as well as the opportunity to work with diverse populations. Fellows work in a different school each semester with a mentor in each school. They are encouraged to move beyond technical application to develop skill in reflection, responsible decision making, and in acquiring a clear personal philosophy of education during weekly professional development sessions.
The program expanded to include four additional schools in the Philadelphia area during the 2021-2022 school year. Given this growth, the name of the program became the Independent School Teaching Fellows of Greater Philadelphia. In addition to William Penn Charter School and Community Partnership School, the following schools have partnered with us in this social justice effort: Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Rosemont School of the Holy Child, St. Peter’s School, and Miquon School.
Funding from the Edward E. Ford Leadership Grant will assist the program to develop further in the following ways:
to increase the number of fellows participating in the program
to enable smaller schools to contribute their diversity as placement sites for the fellows
to include an additional PK-12 school to the collaboration
to provide additional supervision for the expanding program
to offer fellows the option to obtain a graduate degree in education from Rosemont College at a discounted rate
to assist in the development of a curriculum framework, guidance in recruiting and training, and resources for a similar programmatic model in another region of the United States
The William Penn Charter School wishes to thank the Edward E. Ford Foundation for the funding awarded through the Educational Leadership Grant to enable us to achieve our goals for the Independent School Teaching Fellows Program.
Grant Amount: $250,000
Match: 1:1