Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2012 Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing. 2012 recipients will be announced starting late January. If you have any questions about your application please call 212.713.8052 or costasgrants@collegeboard.org.
Grants of $3,000 awarded to teachers who inspire students to write
Each year the College Board recognizes exceptional teachers of grades 6 through 12 for the innovative methods they use to develop their students' writing skills. Grants of $3,000 each will be awarded to teachers who are doing an inspiring job of teaching their students to write and who will benefit most from a grant to enhance a successful project.
The award was named for Bob Costas, the Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and author, for his dedication to the craft of writing and his generous public service work on behalf of the National Commission on Writing.
Recipients of the 2011 Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing
Middle States Region
Jillian Coneys, who teaches at the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change in New York City, is helping students write, record and perform original poetry. Coneys' project, "From Paper to Stage," begins with visits to spoken word performances and leads students through writing journals and composition.
Western Region
Matthew Porter Dyer, an English teacher at Mesa Ridge High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., leads a program called Writers Fusion, which helps students complete full-length manuscripts and screenplays over the course of the school year with support from teachers and classmates. Dyer's program, offered to any student motivated to work on his or her creative writing, helps students through the writing and editing process and also teaches them about the publishing industry.
Southwestern Region
Amy Simpson, who teaches AP® English Language and AP English Literature at Alma d'arte Charter High School in Las Cruces, N.M., encourages and engages her students by publishing their work in high-quality, professionally produced books. In the past three years, she has published nine books of student writing — including books of poetry, essays and a graphic novel.
Midwestern Region
Martina Leslie, an English teacher at Saginaw Arts and Science Academy in Saginaw, Mich., guides middle school students through the publication of "Dragon Lore," an anthology of their stories. Collaborating with high school art students, the middle school students create an illustrated anthology that is published and offered for sale on Amazon and at a local retail bookstore.
New England Region
Christa E. Bolen, a teacher at American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Conn., develops her students' language skills with "Photoliteracy," a project that blends photography and writing by having students compose photographs that illustrate a theme, such as "discrimination," then describe their thoughts and ideas in writing.
Southern Region
Kimual Snow, teaches English at Whitehaven High School in Memphis, Tenn., and helps her students develop writing and language skills through the prism of service projects. Using the literacy and technological skills they learn in class, her students create an advertising campaign for their chosen charitable organization. Students must research and discuss these organizations, then present multimedia projects to representatives of each charity.
Recipients of the 2010 Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing
Middle States Region
Nancy Kaplan of the College of Staten Island High School for International Studies in Staten Island, N.Y., teaches journalism and English. Her students collaborate with student-writers from other nations to produce an international report on topics including the war in Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and teen life in various cultures.
Western Region
Eric Gutierrez, a history teacher at Whitney High School in Cerritos, Calif., uses blogging to encourage his seventh-grade history students to organize and articulate their ideas about historical and current events. Posting their work online gives added incentive, he said, for students to improve their critical thinking and writing skills.
Southwest Region
Lynne Dozier of Klein Forest High School in Houston sponsors the student art and literature anthology called the Aquilas Stilus, which means “the eagle’s pen” in Latin. The student publication is in its 17th year, and manuscripts are chosen in order to reflect the diverse voices and creative talents across the high school.
Midwest Region
Keri Grady of Saint Martin de Porres High School in Cleveland, Ohio, teaches multimedia journalism and assigns her students a variety of stories chronicling life at their school and in their community. Students write and produce stories to educate their audience and illustrate their perspective on contemporary issues.
New England Region
Patricia Pflaumer of Abington High School in Abington, Mass., leads an effort called Students Write to Be Heard, or SW2BH. The goal she sets for her students is for them to have written work published during the school year, whether in a literary magazine, school newspaper or writing conference or contest.
Southern Region
Gabriel Ortiz, education program director at Oasis Middle School in Bradenton, Fla., leads two major projects in the Writing Workshop at Oasis: a school book and a theatre production. The school book, Seen but Not Heard, allows students to share personal stories and serves as a mentor text for other children.
Recipients of the 2009 Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing
Middle States Region
Shannon Handley and Joanne Dineen of Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, N.Y., coordinate the Ethnic Pen, an annual conference on ethnic writing that has earned local and national recognition for its success in motivating students to find and express their unique voices through writing.
Western Region
Teri Klass of Marshall High School in Los Angeles has incorporated special education students into her Humanitas Global Studies small learning community, bringing a population that has often been excluded into a program of rigor. Her students’ assignments include debates, multimedia projects and extracurricular trips.
Southwest Region
Andrea Perrino of Rio Rancho Mid-High School and Beth Cramer of Mountain View Middle School in Rio Rancho, N.M., coordinate a Web-based writer’s showcase to publish students’ work and encourage them to submit essays or poetry.
Midwest Region
Colleen Ruggieri of Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio, believes in having her students "write for real." She incorporated a local experimental farm in her teaching. Her students studied the writings of the American Transcendentalists and she took them on a field trip to the farm to research environmental and agricultural issues.
New England Region
Pascalia Mattioli of South High Community School in Worcester, Mass., has emphasized the arts as her students read and write in her language arts classroom. Using art projects to complement the reading and writing curriculum has helped many students for whom English is not their first language.
Southern Region
Brent Wiley of Brandon Alternative School in Seffner, Fla., challenged his students to take up their pens and create the first student newspaper published in Hillsborough County. Wiley’s students accepted his challenge and published their first issue — complete with fashion tips, reviews of hip-hop and pop music releases, and editorials about school conditions.
Best Practices
Learn best practices from past recipients.