Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-04-19 10:30:00-04:00
AARP is pleased to announce the creation of The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation. A $10,000 prize will be awarded to one public secondary school (grades 8 - 12) in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands in recognition of an innovative program or practice currently operating in a school.
There is also the The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards, a $100,000 prize that will be awarded to a public high school (grades 8 - 12) in cities that have been selected as focal points for AARP's 50th Anniversary celebration. Those cities are Chicago, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Learn more about this $100,000 Legacy award.
For the $10,000 Innovation award, principals may submit a brief description of a program or practice that has enhanced student achievement or contributed to an improved environment for the students, the school, or the community served by the school. One public high school from each state will receive a $10,000 award. This awards program has been established as part of AARP's 50th anniversary celebration. To learn more about the life of Ethel Percy Andrus, download a short biography of this woman's remarkable life (47K in PDF format, free Adobe Reader required).
More About the Award
The Prize
Who May Apply
Entry Criteria
How to Apply
Frequently Asked Questions
More About the Award
The award was developed to honor AARP's founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. Prior to founding AARP, Dr. Andrus achieved broad recognition as a creative and innovative public high school educator in the state of California. Dr. Andrus was the first woman appointed to lead a public secondary high school in California and in that position developed and implemented a host of innovative programs that served the interest of her students and the community.
We invite all public secondary school principals with programs that meet our criteria to apply. All entries will be reviewed by a panel comprised of AARP leaders and members of the local unit of the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA) and will be subject to onsite evaluation by an outside evaluation team familiar with the criteria. Only one public high school in each state or territory will be selected to receive the award.
All entries are due by November 1, 2007. Presentations to the winners will be made in 2008. If you have any questions, please call our AARP toll-free number at 1-866-213-9669, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).
The Prize
Public secondary high schools (grades 8 - 12) in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands are eligible for a $10,000 award in recognition of an existing program or practice that demonstrates successful innovation in the areas of student achievement or contributes to an improved environment for students, the school, or the community served by the school.
Who May Apply
The competition is open to all secondary public high schools from each state or territory. One public high school entry from each state will be eligible to receive the award.
Entry Criteria
- This awards program is open to secondary public high schools.
- See below for eligibility criteria regarding timeline of the program.
- The existing program or practice must have demonstrated successful innovation in the areas of student achievement or contributed to an improved environment for the students, the school, or the community served by the school.
- Entry must be submitted by a high school principal or his/her designee.
- The current principal need not have been the one to introduce the program.
- The program must have the approval of the office of the school superintendent.
- This award is to go to the school not the principal.
- Principals wishing to submit entries must restrict descriptions of their programs to no more than 500 hundred words.
- All entries will be reviewed by a panel comprised of AARP local administrators and members of the local unit of the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA) and will be subject to onsite evaluation by an AARP evaluation team.
- All entries are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on November 1, 2007.
How to Apply
Entries may be submitted on line or by filling out the application (28K PDF, free Adobe Reader required) and sending it to: AARP c/o The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation, 601 E. Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20049.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AARP Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation?
AARP is pleased to announce the creation of The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation. A $10,000 prize will be awarded to one public secondary school (grades 8 - 12) in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. This award will be given in recognition of an innovative program or practice currently operating in a school. Secondary high school principals may submit a brief description of their program or practice that has enhanced student achievement or contributed to an improved environment for the students, the school, or the community served by the school. One entry from each area will be selected to receive a $10,000 award. This awards program has been established as part of AARP's 50th anniversary celebration.
This award was developed to honor AARP's founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. Prior to founding AARP, Dr. Andrus achieved broad recognition as a creative and innovative public high school educator in the state of California. Dr. Andrus was the first woman appointed to lead a public secondary high school in California and in that position developed and implemented a host of innovative programs that served the interest of her students and the community.
What criteria is AARP using to judge programs?
- This awards program is open to secondary public high schools.
- The existing program or practice must have demonstrated successful innovation in the areas of student achievement or contributed to an improved environment for the students, the school, or the community served by the school.
- Entry must be submitted by a high school principal or their designee.
- The current principal need not have been the one to introduce the program.
- The program must have the approval of the office of the school superintendent.
- This award will go to the school not the principal.
- Principals wishing to submit entries must restrict descriptions of their programs to no more than 500 hundred words.
- All entries will be reviewed by a panel comprised of AARP leaders and members of the local unit of the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA and will be subject to onsite evaluation by an outside evaluation team familiar with the evaluative process.
- Entry can be submitted on line at www.aarp.org/innovationaward or by filing out the application and sending it to: AARP c/o The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation, 601 E. Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20049.
What is AARP's judging process?
All entries will be reviewed by a panel comprised of personnel from each AARP state office and members of the local unit of the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA). All submissions will be subject to onsite evaluation by a team familiar with the program evaluation process. Only one public high school in each state or territory will be selected to receive the award.
Who is eligible to apply under the two-year program criteria?
Because programs at the secondary public school level often, start at various times in the academic year rather than precisely at the beginning of the school year or calendar year, we want to offer flexibility with regard to the program length. Therefore, there is a window of eligibility for program nominations. Specifically, all programs started in the following school years are eligible for consideration:
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
Programs started before the 2003-2004 school year or after the 2005-2006 school year are not eligible for consideration.
Who is eligible to apply under the two-year program criteria?
Programs at the secondary public school level often start at various times in the academic year rather than at the beginning of the school year. The school year is different from the calendar year, therefore; we want to offer flexibility in evaluating the program length.
All programs developed/started in the school year 2003-2004 are eligible for consideration. Programs that started before 2003 are not eligible. If a program started in the 2005-2006 academic year, the program is still eligible because the announcement of the program came out in 2007.
We are looking for programs that are new and innovative, and they have demonstrated a record of success.
How will I be notified about the status of my application?
Applicants who submit proposals will be notified as follows:
- An email acknowledging receipt of the award application will be sent.
- A letter or email notifying applicants as to whether their proposal was accepted or declined in their school district will be sent prior to a public announcement of the winner.
- Applicants who submit an application that failed to conform to the written specifications will have their application returned.
Those principals wishing to participate in the program are encouraged to submit their entries on line at www.aarp.org/innovationaward or by filing out the application and sending it to: AARP c/o The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation, 601 E. Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20049. Entries should clearly explain the program and its impact upon the students, the school or the community.
How long does the AARP Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation funding last?
This is a one time grant.
When are applications due?
All completed applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on November 1, 2007.
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