Reach for the STARs for our kids and our community.
GEF Annual Fund Drive is going on now...
We need your support!
What is the Glenview Education Foundation? The Glenview Education Foundation, more commonly known as the GEF, is a non-profit, volunteer-driven fundraising organization of District 34 parents who believe incremental private funding is critical for supporting a high performing public school district.
What are the investment priorities for the GEF? Since being established in 2001, the GEF has invested more than $600,000 to fund innovative and high impact pilot programs across District 34.
Over the past year, the GEF engaged District 34 teachers and administrators in a series of discussions and research-based focus groups in order to identify key areas of focus requiring private funding support.
Four areas of focus – now called the S TAR initiatives - came out of these discussions:
Science Enrichment: Engage students with hands-on learning and new technology. Teacher Investment: Help teachers to innovate and share strategies for success. At-Risk Support: Bolster efforts to help at-risk students to ensure all students learn to their potential. Readiness Skills: Improve executive function skills (e.g. organization, communication, etc)
How does the GEF raise funds for its initiatives? Historically, the Foundation’s primary fundraising activity was its annual benefit. At its peak, this November event attracted more than 550 people and raised more than $100,000. The benefit was instrumental in building awareness of the GEF in the local community.
However… the GEF Board recognized that major events such as the annual benefit are extremely expensive to host, and require a virtual army of volunteers. We began to research more efficient and effective fundraising strategies in an effort to ensure a greater percentage of our donations are invested directly into classrooms.
This year, GEF is replacing its annual benefit with a community-wide fund drive. Our primary goal is to grow the number of parents that support our efforts. Expanding our parent participation within the District 34 community will help the GEF grow the donations available to invest in new initiatives.
In order to tie the new fund drive to our new investment priorities, this effort has been named:
Reach for the STARs A focused fund drive for the 2009-2010 school year will run from October 7 through November 7, although donations are welcome throughout the year. To donate link here.
What are the benefits of donating to GEF? District 34 is committed to the professional growth of its teachers. Historically, educators within District 34 were encouraged to explore new instructional methods and materials that might improve learning while keeping their own skills up-to-date and fresh. Today, budget constraints have severely reduced the money available for investment in innovation and professional development.
GEF serves as an alternate funding source for educators within District 34 who want to turn their ideas into reality. Every years, teachers and staff apply for GEF grants to fund projects that help enrich the core curriculum, leverage technology to improve learning, and enhance professional development.
With the development of the new STAR initiatives, the GEF is encouraging groups of educators to think about larger programs that will have more significant impact on students. Learn about the added benefits of being a Blue Ribbon Donor.
Although the STAR initiatives are new, many projects previously funded by the GEF fit into the new set of priorities.
Science Enrichment
Science Olympiad (Attea) This national program was first funded at Attea for the 2008-2009 school year. The GEF grant allowed a team of 15 students to represent the school at two regional competitions. Individual and small groups of students competed in more than 20 events that involved knowledge-based exams, hands-on lab experiments, building challenges, and tests designed to challenge the students’ powers of scientific observation and conclusion.
Project Approach to Enhance Kindergarten Science (Westbrook) A group of Westbrook teachers recognized that scientific concepts are easier for students to grasp when they have an opportunity to take part in hands-on investigation. This grant allowed the team to implement a project approach to science that linked practical experience with classroom discussion.
With the project approach, students develop a project that supports the topic being taught in class. The project might involve a science experiment, field study and observation, or interviews with outside experts. The children will be able to work at their own skill level and group discussions in the classroom will keep everyone informed about the work being done. When the projects are completed, the students will present their projects using posters, art, stories, or even drama .
Teacher Investment
First Grade Guided Reading (Henking, Lyon, Westbrook) Th e guided reading program currently in use in the primary grades in District 34, was originally made possible by a GEF grant. This grant, which totaled more than $40,000, provided each first grade teacher with individualized coaching and feedback on the teaching methods required to implement the program. The grant is also a great example of how purchased materials can be used to effectively support the main objective of a grant. While the core focus of the grant was clearly to provide the training necessary to allow teachers to effectively use guided reading instructional techniques, the grant also supported the purchase of the necessary classroom materials (e.g. leveled readers)
Everyday Math National User Conference (Glen Grove) Glen Grove staff recognized a strong need within the building for teachers to have differentiated training and more in-depth knowledge of the U of C Everyday Math program. They felt the training requested would enable teachers to better differentiate instruction for individual students – providing necessary remediation or enrichment as appropriate. There was no District level training offered.
The GEF grant funded training at three different levels for twenty teachers. New teachers received the initial level of training while more experienced teachers had an opportunity to attend a conference designed for prior users of the program. Another group of educators participated in a “train the trainers” program, ensuring that the information would be effectively transferred to other staff in the future.
At-Risk Support
Latino Youth Program (Springman) Discussions on student achievement at Springman typically reveal many strengths; yet, Psychologist Ilene Holt-Turner and ELL teacher Jennifer Pahati recognized that the Latino students within the school struggled more than others. Test data clearly indicated that a disproportionate number of Latino students were not meeting state academic standards. Believing that existing support services would not fully address the issues, the two educators used a grant from GEF to create the Latino Youth Program. This innovative program reaches well beyond standard academic tools to address specific Latino social and cultural issues that impact the learning environment for these students. It focuses on developing student leaders and increasing parent support and involvement within the community.
Ultimately, the Latino Youth Program seeks to improve student academic performance by enhancing the students’ connection to the Springman community. To achieve this goal, the two grant recipients organized an array of in-school discussions, group and community-based activities, field trips, mentoring opportunities, and bi-lingual communications.
Supporting Native Language ( Lyon , Pleasant Ridge) ELL teachers at the two schools had noticed that as Spanish-speaking students acquire skills in English they quickly lose their ability to communicate in Spanish. This can cause academic and personal difficulties for both parents and children if they are not able to effectively communicate in their native language. Research on second language acquisition also indicates that the more students are able to develop their native language the easier it will be for them to make a transition to a second language. When students maintain their native language they develop vocabulary and concepts that support what they are learning in school and also develop a sense of pride in their heritage. This grant allowed the schools to develop a stronger home-school linkage for the ELL families through a series of workshops designed to support the maintenance of the native language, while enhancing the involvement and understanding of the parents in school-based activities
Readiness Skills
SMARTBoard Technology (All District 34) SMART Boards are an interactive computer touch screen that gives teachers the power to incorporate new tools and methods in their teaching. Children no longer sit and watch their teacher; they are actively involved in the learning process. Beginning readers are all on the same page when a book is projected on SMART Board in front of the classroom. Students who once stuck an image of the sun on a poster are now interpreting weather graphs and temperature tables displayed from the internet onto the SMART Boards in their classrooms. Math problems and solutions are presented in a step-by-step fashion to ensure all students master the concept. And for older students worried about missing work when they are sick – teachers using SMART Boards can save all of the notes and problems written on the board as an electronic file which can then be emailed directly to the student at home.
The GEF has already invested nearly $135,000 in SMART Boards and related technology, and is committed to supporting District 34’s efforts to bring this cutting edge technology into every classroom.
Learn about the added benefits of being a Blue Ribbon Donor
Science Olympiad (Attea) This national program was first funded at Attea for the 2008-2009 school year. The GEF grant allowed a team of 15 students to represent the school at two regional competitions. Individual and small groups of students competed in more than 20 events that involved knowledge-based exams, hands-on lab experiments, building challenges, and tests designed to challenge the students’ powers of scientific observation and conclusion. 
First Grade Guided Reading (Henking, Lyon, Westbrook) Th e guided reading program currently in use in the primary grades in District 34, was originally made possible by a GEF grant. This grant, which totaled more than $40,000, provided each first grade teacher with individualized coaching and feedback on the teaching methods required to implement the program. The grant is also a great example of how purchased materials can be used to effectively support the main objective of a grant. While the core focus of the grant was clearly to provide the training necessary to allow teachers to effectively use guided reading instructional techniques, the grant also supported the purchase of the necessary classroom materials (e.g. leveled readers) 
Latino Youth Program (Springman) Discussions on student achievement at Springman typically reveal many strengths; yet, Psychologist Ilene Holt-Turner and ELL teacher Jennifer Pahati recognized that the Latino students within the school struggled more than others. Test data clearly indicated that a disproportionate number of Latino students were not meeting state academic standards. Believing that existing support services would not fully address the issues, the two educators used a grant from GEF to create the Latino Youth Program. This innovative program reaches well beyond standard academic tools to address specific Latino social and cultural issues that impact the learning environment for these students. It focuses on developing student leaders and increasing parent support and involvement within the community. 
SMARTBoard Technology (All District 34) SMART Boards are an interactive computer touch screen that gives teachers the power to incorporate new tools and methods in their teaching. Children no longer sit and watch their teacher; they are actively involved in the learning process. Beginning readers are all on the same page when a book is projected on SMART Board in front of the classroom. Students who once stuck an image of the sun on a poster are now interpreting weather graphs and temperature tables displayed from the internet onto the SMART Boards in their classrooms. Math problems and solutions are presented in a step-by-step fashion to ensure all students master the concept. And for older students worried about missing work when they are sick – teachers using SMART Boards can save all of the notes and problems written on the board as an electronic file which can then be emailed directly to the student at home.