News Release
Contact: Kaylen Tucker, NAESP
703-518-6257
ktucker@naesp.org

K-8 schools can apply to receive Sharing the Dream grants of $5,000 each to lead community engagement activities that promote global awareness.

Alexandria, VA—August 26, 2011—The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Foundation and MetLife Foundation invite elementary and middle school principals across the United States to submit proposals for the 2011-2012 Sharing the Dream grant program. The grants will support educators’ efforts to create globally oriented schools and international learning communities, and to engage students in transformative, multidisciplinary experiences and service learning projects that will help them succeed in the interconnected world of the 21st century. Twenty-five schools will be selected this fall to receive $5,000 each to launch innovative community engagement projects that draw on local resources to promote global awareness.

The Sharing the Dream program was initiated in response to the 2003 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, which revealed a critical need to involve teachers, parents, and the public in creating better schools. Since 2004, 250 principals, representing all 50 states and Guam, have been awarded Sharing the Dream grants to build trusting relationships with families, develop lasting school-community partnerships, and boost student achievement.

Findings from the 2009 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success  raise a 21st century challenge for Sharing the Dream. Seventy-one percent of teachers and 75 percent of principals believe that preparing students for competition and collaboration in a global economy is very important for improving student achievement. In addition, 80 percent surveyed believe that connecting classroom instruction to the real world would have a major impact on student performance.

To address these findings, the NAESP Foundation and MetLife Foundation have expanded the Sharing the Dream program to consider community in a broader sense, including local opportunities for global engagement. This fall, principals are encouraged to develop new ways of connecting students from different cultures within their own neighborhoods and around the world, through global encounters, classroom to classroom partnerships, experiential learning activities, and language instruction.

Proposals for the 2011-2012 school year will be accepted through September 21, 2011. Sharing the Dream grant recipients will be announced mid-October. For more information, and to apply, email sharingthedreamgrant@gmail.com or visit www.naesp.org/MetLifeShareDream.aspx

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Established in 1921, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) leads in the advocacy and support for elementary- and middle-level principals in the United States, Canada and overseas. The NAESP Foundation, founded in 1982, is the charitable arm of NAESP and is dedicated to securing and stewarding private gifts and grants that benefit NAESP. www.naesp.org

MetLife Foundation is committed to building a secure future for individuals and communities worldwide, through a focus on empowering older adults, preparing young people and building livable communities. In education, it seeks to strengthen public schools through effective teaching and collaborative leadership, and to prepare students for access to and success in higher education, particularly during the crucial first year. The Foundation’s grant making is informed by findings from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.  More information is available at www.metlife.org.