Aztec Elementary School receives $43,200 grant

Two Aztec Elementary School parents determined to revive the model Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) program at their school have won a $43,200 grant to bring back the program on which the school was created.

Erin Strickstein and Ruth Anne Lefkowitz with no prior grant writing experience worked diligently for most of the 2003-2004 school year win the grant from the Northern Arizona University, AZ K-12 Center. Teachers Tiffany Albers, Michelle Ely, Sarah Rayball and Assistant Principal Tom Gannon also assisted in the process. In addition, the school’s parent-teacher organization raised $27,500 for the ITI program, which will be used for 1.5 years of training and support.

The grant will be used to provide training to teachers and staff at Aztec Elementary School, including direct instruction in ITI and Brain Research. It also includes individual teacher coaching and training in such areas as curriculum mapping, classroom management, planning and implementation. The ITI program is a comprehensive school improvement model designed to increase student performance and teacher satisfaction.

Next June, where specialist ITI master teachers come in and take an empty room, redesign it to be a model ITI classroom, design a week of curriculum, and teach it so teachers can observe and analyze. It will also focus on parent satisfaction, school climate and parent education.
The school is already looking at what grants may be available so they can continue the ITI program for another three years, which is the estimated time it will take to move the school to being a model ITI/Brain-Based Teaching and Learning School again.

Aztec Elementary school was originally designed by Hick Federer 10 years ago to be a model ITI school. Previous changes in administration, teachers, no continuing staff development and parent education lead to a disintegrated in the ITI program.

The NAU AZK-12 Center was created by former Arizona Governor Jane Hull and a $ 2 million appropriation from the Arizona Legislature. The Center was created as a way to help teachers achieve and maintain the high performance standards created by the state and is a collaborative effort of Arizona’s universities and other higher learning institutions. The center is providing best practice information to assist teachers with improving their profession supporting education reform efforts through grants and information, and assisting with best practice standards. The center has given out more than $2 million in grants in the past year.

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