2011-2012 Annual Report - Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for ...

The Work of the McDowell Foundation
The McDowell Foundation supports the involvement of practising teachers as they
engage in research that contributes to knowledge about teaching and learning. The
Foundation affords teachers the opportunity to partake in critical inquiry whereby
insights flourish and transform the educational landscape. Networks of colleagues
deepen relationships and understandings through experimentation with innovative ideas
and methodologies. The invaluable nature of the Foundation is reaffirmed by the
wealth of research that has been created and the far reaching impact of this relevant
body of deep understanding.
Research
Strategic DirectionS:
1. To promote teacher-led research.
2. To build an educational research community.
3. To monitor the impact of teacher-led research.
4. To promote educational leadership through research.
ReSeARch gRAntS
The Board of Directors authorized $85,000 to be spent in McDowell Foundation grants
to teacher-led research projects initiated in 2012. A call for research proposals was
issued in January 2012 and, in response, the Foundation received 12 applications for
research funding. As shown in Table 1, these applications totalled $150,455 in grants
requested.
Table 1: Research Applications and Awards*
Amount
Available
Number of
Applications
Amount
Requested
Number
of Awards
2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08
Total
1994-2012
$85,000 $85,000 $70,000 $85,000 $85,000 $85,000 $1,420,000
12 15 30 20 20 12 385
$150,455 $170,611 $457,344 $328,343 $268,832 $97,044 $3,777,132
12 11 9 11 9 11 235
Total Awarded $83,872 $82,793 $69,010 $83,514 $82,530 $67,918 $1,248,031
* Applications include late applications and applications for major extensions to projects already in
progress. Awards include project extensions and development grants as well as project grants.
pAge 6 AnnuAl RepoRt 2011-12