New Jersey Schools Receive Second Year of Funding for Scholar in Residence Program

National Endowment for the Humanities and Dodge Foundation extend partnership

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Morristown, N.J.-based Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have agreed for a second year to support the Humanities Scholar in Residence Program now in place in New Jersey schools. The program brings outside humanities educators into selected New Jersey schools to serve as consultants for improving the schools' humanities curriculum.

The NEH-Dodge Humanities Scholars in Residence Program is open to public middle and high schools in New Jersey. The application deadline is October 16, 2000.

The program is a pioneering effort to help schools rethink how they teach history, literature, and foreign languages and cultures-the subjects known as the humanities. Dodge provided $50,000 for the program in the 1999-2000 academic year, with grants of $10,000 to each of five schools, and will make identical contributions to five additional schools for next academic year. NEH administers the program and conducts the review process.

"The Humanities Scholar in Residence Program taps the expertise of master educators to enrich the K-12 learning environment," said NEH Chairman William R. Ferris. "Before the NEH-Dodge partnership, this idea had never before been tried in a systematic way. Dodge has shown great leadership in education by coming forward with funding for the program, and we at NEH see our partnership as a model for providing K-12 educational enrichment in each state."

"We are pleased with any effort that takes the scholarship of K-12 teachers seriously," said Alexandra Christy, the Dodge Foundation's senior program officer. "All the better if we can partner with an agency of the NEH's stature, reach and commitment to teaching and learning."

For information and guidelines, call the NEH Division of Education Programs at (202) 606-8380 or e-mail your request to @email.

The Humanities Scholar in Residence Program provides grants to individual schools to cover visits by an outside humanities scholar or teacher, who will meet with administrators, teachers, librarians and students, and help them prepare an action plan for improving humanities teaching in the school. Follow-up consultations by the scholar will refine the plan, and in a report in the following year, the school team will assess changes that have been made and identify improvements in curriculum, environment and teaching.

The five schools that have each received a $10,000 grant under the program for the 1999-2000 academic year are:

• Burlington, Burlington City High School
  PROJECT DIRECTOR: Kathy DeCristofaro, (609) 387-5823
  PROJECT: Integrating study of international relations and world history into the social studies curriculum
  DESCRIPTION: A team of four social studies teachers and the school principal are working with a scholar to infuse international themes and materials into required social studies courses.
• Linwood, Mainland Regional High School
  PROJECT DIRECTOR: Judith C. Perkins, (609) 927-4151
  PROJECT: Recreational reading environments and the high school language arts curriculum
  DESCRIPTION: A team of three teachers, a librarian, and a language arts supervisor are working with a scholar to identify a wider range of literary works to expand the language arts curriculum.
• Pennsauken, Howard M. Phifer Middle School
  PROJECT DIRECTOR: Curt R. Wrzeszczynski, (856) 662-8511
  PROJECT: The Story of Us
  DESCRIPTION: A team of four teachers and a curriculum coordinator are working with a scholar to integrate the personal stories of significant individuals in history into the existing 8th-grade curriculum.
• Ridgewood, Ridgewood Public Schools
  PROJECT DIRECTOR: Jane M. Blakely, (201) 670-2624
  PROJECT: Realigning the 9th-grade English and world history curriculum
  DESCRIPTION: A team of four teachers and a humanities curriculum supervisor are working with a scholar to realign concepts and content in a newly established world history/English pilot program.
• West Caldwell, James Caldwell High School
  PROJECT DIRECTOR: Sarah Van Gunten, (973) 228-6981
  PROJECT: Exploring the rights of children in China and India
  DESCRIPTION: A team of teachers and the school vice principal are working with a scholar to create interdisciplinary units on children's rights in China and India for the 9th grade World History course.