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ALL-STAR STUDENTS READ AND WIN
This year, in the second annual READ 180 All-Star Awards, our parent company, Scholastic, honors nine students who have broken the cycle of failure and have overcome reading challenges with the help of READ 180, an intensive reading intervention program. This year's winners—from elementary, middle, and high schools around the country—will each receive $1,000 to be used toward their education plus books from Scholastic as well as a personal letter and an autographed pair of boxing gloves from heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who struggled with dyslexia. Click on the sidebar for the list of winners:

ANNOUNCING THE NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Jason Kamras was named the 2005 National Teacher of the Year at the White House in April. For the past eight years, Kamras has taught math at John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, D.C. During this time, he has worked to increase math achievement by successfully lobbying the principal to double the time spent on instruction and emphasizing the use of technology to meet the challenges of all learning styles. Kamras piloted his curriculum changes with his students in 2002. In one year, the percentage of students scoring “below basic” on the Stanford 9 test fell from 80 percent to 40 percent. His students have also achieved the district’s math AYP every year since NCLB was implemented. Kamras begins his stint as the country’s national and international spokesperson for education on June 1. The National Teacher of the Year Program, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), is presented by ING and sponsored by Scholastic. To read more about this year’s winner, go to http://www.scholastic.com/administrator/teachyear/year2005.htm

INSPIRING TEENS TO WRITE
Write It, a new teaching tool on scholastic.com, provides resources for instructors to help students fine-tune their writing and even publish their work. On the site, teachers can study different genres, retrieve lessons, and discuss strategies with other instructors. Students can participate in workshops on every step of the writing process and can post their work on the bulletin board for feedback from their peers and author experts. Check out this new feature at http://teacher.scholastic.com/writeit/index.htm.

JOIN EXPERTS ON READING INSTRUCTION
The 2005 Lexile National Reading Conference, titled “Differentiating Instruction in a Standards-Based World,” will be held in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, August 8–10. The conference will feature internationally recognized guest speakers in reading instruction, assessment, and research. For the first time, leading education companies including Scholastic Corporation, EdGate, Pearson Learning Group, Questia Media, and Scholastic Book Fairs are partnering with MetaMetrics to sponsor the three-day event. For information, go to http://www.lexile.com/conference2005/main.html.

GRANTS & FUNDING INFORMATION
The Broad Foundation is looking for our nation’s most talented executives—both educators and non-educators—to participate in its Superintendents Academy. The 10-month executive management program is designed to prepare senior executives in business, nonprofit organizations, and education to lead urban public school systems. Participants attend seven extended weekend training sessions covering CEO-level skills in finance, management, operations, organizational systems and education. Broad Academy graduates move on to superintendent and senior cabinet-level positions within 18 months of completing the program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed each month. Deadline: September 15. For more information visit www.broadacademy.org.

The Best Buy Children’s Foundation supports programs that connect students with technology and education. The foundation’s technology program rewards public schools that are integrating interactive technology into their curricula. The top prize is a $2,500 gift card to Best Buy stores. Deadline: Ongoing. For details, go to www.bestbuy.com/teach.

Schools and school districts that develop nutrition education programs with local nonprofit groups could receive $2,000 to $1 million from the Allen Foundation. The foundation especially supports joint school and community nutrition education programs that train children and young adults to improve their health. Deadline: Ongoing. Read more at www.allenfoundation.org.

10 Great Ways to Get a Grant
To avoid the pitfalls that often come with submitting grants, discover the secrets of successful grant writing thanks to several experts who give their best advice on drafting grant proposals that work.

Reading Milestones: Signs of Progress in Your Emergent Reader
See signs of progress in your beginning reader. Identify key reading skills. Recognize reading milestones in phonics, spelling, writing, and more.

The Last Reporter
The third book in a trilogy, Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter by Michael Winerip is an awesome book. It features middle school reporter Adam Canfield as a gladiator quiz bowler and jazz band member who is also co-editor of the school's newspaper, the SLASH.

LESSON PLAN	Myths, Folktales, & Fairy Tales for Grades 4-6 Students learn folktale, folklore, and myth genres.
UNIT PLAN	Helping Each Other, Near and Far Helping Each Other, Near and Far is a cross-curricular program for grade 1. The storybook, lessons and reproducibles in this program help students...