TQAS Eligibility for School Year 2006-2007

Grants will be made available to New York City public or parochial schools represented by a full-time employee of that school. Applicants are required to have successfully coached at least one TQNYC team in a prior year that completed a website in order to be eligible for the TQAS grant.

TQNYC will provide funding for an educator(s) who will serve as a TQNYC Coach and recruit/manage teams of students to participate in an after-school ThinkQuest Club. Each student team will be responsible for completing a TQNYC project by the project deadline of May 1, 2007. The teams will be eligible for awards as participants in the ThinkQuest New York City Challenge (see rules for more information).

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants:

• Applicant must have successfully coached TQNYC teams in the past.
• Applicant must work with a co-coach.
• TQNYC After-School Clubs must have a minimum of 20 students.
• The school's principal must recognize and support the TQNYC after-school program.
• Applicant must be willing to attend additional training sessions offered by TQNYC.

Additional Requirements:

• Student teams must be formed and in progress in time for the January student workshops.
• Coaches must agree to interim review of progress in February/March 2007.
• Coaches are required to submit Team ID numbers, along with the number of students participating, within one week of the March 30, 2007 team registration deadline.
• Coaches are required to submit a final budget, accounting for all grant expenditures, by June 15, 2007.

Process for Awarding Grants:

• Applicants will receive an acknowledgement via e-mail that TQNYC has received the grant application.
• ThinkQuest New York City staff will review grant applications as they are received.
• Applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be submitted to the grant committee of the TQNYC Executive Board for review and selection.
• Applicants will be notified as to the status of their request on a rolling basis, and no later than December 1, 2006.

Criteria for Awarding Grants:

Decisions are broadly based on the following two criteria:

1. Commitment to the Program
• Hours per week allotted to the TQNYC After-School Club
• Efforts to recruit, enroll and retain students
• Compatibility between the school's goals and TQNYC After-School program
2. Academic and Economic Needs of the School
• Standardized test results
• Attendance records
• Title I and Free Lunch eligibility