Information about the
Innovation in Education Awards

Deadline: Wednesday, March 17, 2008 at 9:00 am
(extended one week)

Go to the on-line nomination form

Leadership by example. The Innovation in Education Awards does exactly that by showcasing innovative, creative and effective new uses of technology in education. A joint program of the Classroom of the Future Foundation and the San Diego County Office of Education, the annual awards not only feature innovative technology uses in schools, they create momentum for continued innovation as well as foster greater communication, coordination, and partnership between the educators, administrators and parents. The Innovation in Education Awards set both the tone and the standard for the educational community and parents to inspire, innovate and achieve—all in the best interest of students.

Why Participate?

Educators, administrators and parents all can make a positive difference in education by spotlighting innovative uses of technology in education. By nominating an innovative technological initiative that inspires students to achieve, together we can create a higher standard for educating our children. These Innovation in Education Awards are the premier opportunity to shine the spotlight on dedicated education professionals who create education programs that promote innovative technology applications. Award programs will be honored for their innovation, dedication and professionalism and receive a cash stipend for their school, $5,000 for inspire.innovate.achieve awards and $10,000 for impact awards. Note: these stipends have been significantly increased due to the continued generous support of CFF sponsors!

Categories of Awards

The Innovation in Education Awards recognize exceptional programs in three categories:

• inspire – This award illustrates the unique attributes of the program that get kids excited about learning. This award specifically focuses on the "program characteristics" responsible for increasing student interest and enhancing student learning.
  
• innovate – This award showcases the creative innovations of the program that facilitate enhanced learning. This award specifically focuses on the "program actions" that improve effective teaching and learning, and drive achievement.
  
• achieve – This award demonstrates the tangible results from the program that drive student learning. This award specifically focuses on the "program evidence" that directly correlates to positive student outcomes.

In addition, a best-of -show award called the impact award, will be given to the one program that best embodies all three attributes of inspire.innovate.achieve.

A program may be nominated in more than one award category. And the impact award will be selected from all eligible programs, not just from the three category award programs.

Who can nominate?

• Superintendents, Principals & Teachers in K-12 public schools in San Diego County
• School Administrators
• Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of CFF
• School Board Members
• Current and Prospective Sponsors
• Businesses and related organizations interested in advancing education in San Diego County

What programs are eligible?

• Programs must be at a school or district in the K-12 San Diego County public school system.
• Programs must promote innovative learning practices to advance student achievement.
• Programs must benefit both teachers and students.
• Programs must provide objective evidence to support the facts presented in the nomination. Examples of evidence include, but are not limited to, formal and informal evaluations, teacher/peer reviews, surveys, attendance records, test scores, graduation rates, parent testimonials, press clippings, etc.
• Programs must allow the use of program details and names for CFF purposes.
• Nominations must answer all questions outlined in the nomination form including category-specific questions.

Nomination Process

Nominations are welcome through our on-line nomination form. No hardcopy nominations will be accepted. Provide contact information for the person nominating the program, the name of the nominated program and a brief description, answer all of the questions for the selected award categories, and attach an evidence document to support the nomination. A confirmation email message will be sent to the nominator that the nomination was entered in our database. Deadline is Wednesday, March 17, 2008 at 9:00 am PDT.

Judging Panel

A panel of judges will review all of the nominations and select the program awards. The panel includes teachers, superintendents, and business leaders active within the Classroom of the Future Foundation.

What makes a nomination better?

Here are some hints on how to make your nomination better.

• Be concise! Remember that the panel will be reading a lot of nominations.
• Provide evidence to back up your claims about what happened in your school or classroom. If students were inspired, then provide evidence of inspiration; if students achieved academic success, then document their accomplishments. Use data if you can. Use testamonials sparingly.
• Answer the questions. Describe unique attributes, explain how things worked, describe the effects. Nominations that fail to give the panel key information cannot be ranked higher than those that do.
• Results matter. Even for the inspire award, the panel wants to learn about the effects. For the innovate award, a simpler idea with a big effect is better than a clever idea that has no results yet.
• Don't forget teachers. CFF believes that teachers are key innovators in K-12 education, so tell us about the teaching practices that really worked.
• Select a few pages to attach. Attach a PDF file that complements your answers with evidence rather than lots of stuff that tries to make your answers.
• Don't use web links. The panel process does not have the time nor is it fair to investigate beyond the nomination form.

Awards Presented at CFF Annual Event

Awards will be presented during the Innovation in Education program at the 2008 Annual Event, to be held at the Hall of Champions in Balboa Park on Thursday, May 15, 2007 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.