Walden University Announces 'Educator for a Day' Grants

$5,000 grants to schools highlight need for more educators, benefits of teaching profession.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) October 8, 2008 -- On Nov. 20, 2008, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University will honor schools and educators across the nation with its campaign in support of the National Education Association (NEA) Educator for a Day program. Walden will award $5,000 grants to three P-12 schools that host Educator for a Day events as part of the nationwide celebration of NEA's American Education Week, observed Nov. 16-22, 2008.

"In our second year of awarding grants to schools participating in Educator for a Day, we especially look forward to events that highlight the impact educators make in their classrooms and communities. Walden, with our rich teacher education legacy, celebrates the valuable difference educators make in young lives every day," said Victoria Reid, vice president of the Riley College of Education and Leadership.

Teachers who want to nominate their schools must complete a nomination form that consists of short essay questions about their profession, the importance of teachers' duties, why their school should receive a Walden Educator for a Day grant and what their school would do with the grant. Three schools will be selected by a panel familiar with the issues currently facing P-12 teachers and administrators. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 20, 2008.

Winning schools will officially receive their grants on Nov. 20, 2008. Grants must be used for educational purposes, such as school supplies or educational activities. In addition, recipient schools will be required to arrange for at least one aspiring educator to shadow a teacher during Educator for a Day events.

Walden created the Educator for a Day grant initiative in 2007, and the three winning schools last year--Times Squared Academy in Providence, R.I.; South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind in Spartanburg, S.C.; and Conerly Road School in Somerset, N.J.--were selected from more than 150 nominations submitted by faculty and administrators across the country.

Walden's programs support the needs of educators at all levels, from preschool through higher education. Walden programs also serve educators at various stages of their profession, including new and veteran classroom teachers, faculty members and administrators, and career changers who are interested in teaching in two critical areas of the current teacher shortage: early childhood education and special education (with a focus on learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders).

Walden's Riley College of Education and Leadership is named in honor of Richard W. Riley, the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and a leading advocate in advancing education as a national priority. In January 2008, Walden was ranked for a second time by U.S. News & World Report as having the nation's largest online graduate program in education by enrollment.

To learn more about Walden University's Educator for a Day grant, please visit www.WaldenU.edu/educatorforaday

About Walden University

Since 1970, Walden University (www.WaldenU.edu) has offered working professionals the opportunity to earn advanced degrees through distance learning. Today, this comprehensive, accredited online university offers master's and doctoral degrees in education, psychology, management, public policy and administration, and health and human services, as well as master's programs in engineering and IT and bachelor's programs in business administration, psychology, child development, and computer information systems.

Walden University is a member of Laureate International Universities, a leading global network of accredited campus-based and online universities. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org; 1-312-263-0456.

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