The objective of this project is to provide an opportunity for you to develop leadership experience in finding funding for your school improve programming for English Language Learners. The final product will be in the form of a memo to your school board outlining a proposed Title VII grant. The memo should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages, although you can supplement it with appendices. It should clearly specify the needs, the student population, and the approach to be taken. You should indicate what the application process requires, and how you expect to meet these demands. You can work in a group to prepare the memo; the group should consist of not more than three students. The memo should reflect the knowledge you have gained from course readings and lectures; it should also draw upon additional resources such as the websites listed below.

The memo should be persuasive to its audience (District Administrative Staff and School Board members) as to the needs of the project, and its competitiveness for Title VII funding. Since the criteria listed in the Title VII Grant Application are adhered to rigidly in the grant review process, you should be sure to address how each of the criteria will be addressed in your proposal. The quality of this project should be judged roughly in accordance with how the grant application itself is reviewed - on a scale of 100 points total. Below is a list of the review criteria, details of which can be found in the Title VII application announcement.

Remember, though, that you are writing a memo and not the application itself. Some of these factors can be taken care of in ½ a page or less. Components that are weighted more heavily need more explanation than those that are not. Be creative.

Review criteria:

1. Need for the project (15 points)
2. Quality of the project design (25 points)
3. Quality of project services (15 points)
4. Proficiency in English and another language (3 points)
5. Quality of project personnel (7 points)
6. Adequacy of resources (7 points)
7. Quality of the management plan (13 points)
8. Quality of project evaluation plan (15 points)

Examples of Past Projects

Here are some examples of successful proposals from previous years (with permission).

Project 1: Jane M. Murphy, Sheldon Piumarta and Amelia Zimmermann-Wolff (STEP 2000).

Project 2: Grace Bang Kirsten Boline Erin Hays Suzanne Herzman (STEP 2000).

National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education

U.S. Department of Education (main page)

U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Public School District Finance Peer Search

California Department of Education

Ed Data- demographic information on CA School Districts

Resources for Theory

August, D. & Hakuta, K. (Eds.) Educating Language Minority Children. Washington, DC: National Research Council. See esp. pp. 73-86.  Available at STEP Library.
Berman, P., Minicucci, C., McLaughlin, B., Nelson, B. & Woodworth, K School Reform and Student Diversity:  Case Studies of Exemplary Practices for LEP Students. 
Tikunoff, W. J.  Applying Significant Bilingual Instructional Features in the Classroom.  National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. 
Lucas, T.  Applying Elements of Effective Secondary Schooling for Language Minority Students: A Tool for Reflection And Stimulus to Change. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. 

(Prepared by Kenji Hakuta)