Applications for 2002 James Moffett Memorial Award Due April 1

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 7, No. 1
Date: January-February 2002

Summary: NWP, in conjunction with NCTE, offers the James Moffett Memorial Award every year to support teacher research projects inspired by the scholarship of James Moffett. Application deadline: April 1, 2002.

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference on English Education, in conjunction with the National Writing Project, offers the James Moffett Memorial Award to support teacher research projects inspired by the scholarship of James Moffett. Each proposed project must display an explicit connection to the work of James Moffett and should both enhance the applicant's teaching by serving as a source of professional development and be of interest and value to other educators. All kindergarten through high school classroom educators who teach at least three hours or three classes per day are eligible to apply for the grant, and proposals on which two or more classroom educators have collaborated are also welcome.

Applications for the Moffett Award must include:

• a cover page that includes the applicant's name, work and home telephone numbers and addresses, email address, a brief profile of the applicant's current school and students, and a brief teaching history (when and where the applicant has taught)
• a proposal (not more than five pages, double-spaced, 12-point font) that includes an introduction and rationale for the work (What is the problem or question to be studied? How might such a study influence the project teacher's practice and potentially the practice of other teachers? Why is such a study important?); a description of the explicit connection to the work of James Moffett; initial objectives for the study (realizing these might shift during the project); a clear, focused project description that includes a time line (What will be done? When? How? By whom?); a method of evaluating the project (What indicators might reviewers note that suggest the work was valuable to the researcher and to other teachers?); and a narrative budget (How will the money be spent?)
• a letter of support from someone familiar with the applicant's teaching and perceived ability to implement and assess the proposed project.

What do Moffett Award winners receive?

• a certificate designating the individual as the recipient of the NCTE and NWP James Moffett Memorial Award for classroom research
• a monetary award (up to $1,000) to be used toward implementation of the proposed project
• a copy of James Moffett's last book, The Universal Schoolhouse
• a collection of other books by James Moffett contributed by Heinemann-Boynton/Cook.

Proposals must be postmarked by April 1, 2002. Proposals will be judged on such criteria as the strength of the connection to James Moffett's scholarship and the perceived value and feasibility of the research. For more information, contact Laura Johnston at NCTE (phone: 800/369-6283, email: ljohnston@ncte.org).

Articles from The Voice

"Sculpture Inspires Chicago-Area Students," by Judith Ruhana, The Voice, January-February 2002

"Moffett Award Winner Unites Third-Graders, Senior Citizens" by Andy Bradshaw, The Voice, November-December 2001.

"Illinois, Washington Teachers Share Moffett Award," by Art Peterson, The Voice, January-February 2001.

"Brief Reviews of Major Works of James Moffett," by John Warnock, The Voice, January-February 2001.