FUNDS FOR CLASSROOM PROJECTS The Oppenheimer Family Foundation is awarding small grants of up to $2,000 to 350 CPS teachers who designed hands-on and community-based classroom projects for students. The foundation has awarded its Teacher Incentive Grants for 26 years; this year’s total is $207,000. For more information, visit the foundation’s website.
BETTER READING THROUGH ARTS Children who participated in a music- and drama-based reading program posted higher reading scores and improved their reading skills more than their peers who did not participate in the program, according to a study that tracked children from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Children at two Chicago schools that participated in a Reading in Motion program were more likely to meet 3rd-grade reading benchmarks and scored higher on DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) than peers in two comparable schools who did not participate in the program. For more information, visit Reading in Motion’s website.