In December 2010, the ARRL Executive Committee reviewed grant applications for the ARRL’s Education & Technology Program (ETP), awarding equipment valued at nearly $5000 to five schools. More than 525 schools across the country have received support from the ETP in the form of grants for equipment, curriculum and resources, as well as teacher in-service training through the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology. Applications for equipment and resource grants are accepted twice each year; application deadlines are May 1 and November 1. Applications for 2011 summer sessions of the Teachers Institute are currently being accepted.

A central goal of the ETP is to develop a foundation of wireless technology literacy among America’s teachers and students. It employs Amateur Radio to explore radio science and electronics and provide hands-on activities that engage students’ minds and imaginations, opening doorways into math, science and technology curriculum topics, as well as other core curriculum areas such as geography and language arts.

ETP Grants

Grants for school radio stations are awarded to schools that provide a plan to use Amateur Radio as part of an enrichment program and/or as part of in classroom learning. The following schools recently received ETP grants:

Basehor-Linwood High School, Basehor, Kansas: The lead teacher -- a graduate of the ARRL Teachers Institute -- has been developing a program at his school as a result of his experiences with Teachers Institute. This teacher has submitted some very detailed documentation on his program development since attending the Teachers Institute. His program development has progressed to the point where he is now ready to formalize the ham radio component of the program. The school has already started a club and has applied for its station license. The club is well organized and has been meeting since the start of the school year. The activities planned by the teacher reflect real-world applications. See more on this school's program here.

Crenshaw Middle School, Canton, Ohio: The applicant for this grant has been developing a program and already has a club station, AK8CC. Students have become very active with Amateur Radio activities, and the instructor has a clear and concise plan to further grow the program. It is very apparent that the teacher has taken experiences and lessons from the ARRL Teachers Institute and applied it to their school. The program development has progressed to the point where the instructor is ready to formalize the ham radio component of the program; the station has been using borrowed equipment. To date, 10 students have received their Amateur Radio licenses.

Edward Bain School of Language and Art, Kenosha, Wisconsin: The applicant has a strong track record of implementation and impact with resources from ETP grants that he has received at other schools. Once again, he has a well conceived and workable concept to introduce Amateur Radio to his new school, first through a school club and then with school curriculum. Since becoming principal last fall, he has already received donations of equipment and developed a relationship with a local Amateur Radio club. This is important to sustain and develop the integration of Amateur Radio, both in the after school and in the classroom environments. As school principal, the applicant is in an ideal role to assure the program’s implementation and integration in this school.

Progress Grants

The purpose of the ETP Progress Grant is to offer modest resource support to those teachers who are currently using Amateur Radio in their classrooms as an instructional tool and who need additional resources for specific purposes. The following schools received Progress Grants:

Old Towne Middle School, Ridgeland, Mississippi: The lead teacher is a graduate of the Teachers Institute and has an active program within the school. He has submitted a very detailed documentation on his program development since attending the Teacher’s Institute. The grant request includes materials to support the program in his school, which has grown exponentially this past year. This grant will help him grow his program and take it to the next step.

Samsula Academy, New Smyrna Beach, Florida: The lead teacher is a graduate of the Teachers Institute and received a previous Progress Grant to support a very good, hands-on electronics curriculum at the Academy. The teacher has been very diligent in documenting the success of her efforts and providing that feedback to the ARRL and to other schools. This grant request would continue to add to her program and increase her hands-on approach to her program.