AStrong SMT programs can’t happen without investment. There really is no substitute for giving students hands-on experiences and recruiting knowledgeable instructors and these things cost money. Fortunately, if your district has trouble finding the funds it needs, there are outside sources that you can look to. The links on this site serve as the starting point for such a search.

Remember to be creative; there may be money lurking where you least expect it, or less expensive ways of providing students with the experiences they need. Some districts go too far by overspending on the most expensive new technologies when a field trip to a local industrial lab guided by its employees, for instance, might offer students more for a fraction of the cost of buying the same equipment and demonstrating it in the classroom.

• What federal financial resources are available?
• What state level financial resources are available?
• What other financial resources are available?
• What can we do with limited resources?
  

What federal financial resources are available?

• The National Science Foundation’s Math Science Partnership program offers grants to teams composed of institutions of higher education, local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners.
• The central source for information on federal government grants.

What state level financial resources are available?

• The U.S. Department of Education makes funds available for math and science partnerships through each state’s education department.

What other financial resources are available?

What can we do with limited resources?

• Kathy Allen, a board member from the Rogers Public School District in Arkansas, discusses programs for students and the climate for SMT teachers in her district at NSBA’s 2007 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. [VIDEO]
• A district in Maryland forms a citizens advisory committtee.
• AAAS curriculum resources that help assess programs without major financial outlays.