Mini grants are a resource to extend Reading First professional development. To qualify for mini-grants individuals must attend a Level One Academy. School communities that have formed a network of three or more schools will be eligible to apply for professional development mini-grants from the Nevada Department of Education. These Reading First mini-grants will range from $500 to $2,000 and will support school-based continuation efforts by teams of educators to sustain the work of Nevada Reading First goals and objectives. The mini-grant applications will be evaluated by a Task Force Team consisting of university and Nevada Department of Education members from their region who will review them for compliance with the goals of Nevada Reading First efforts and their adherence to scientifically based literacy research practices.

Some possible uses for these mini-grants are: workshops, university faculty mentors for inquiry groups, study groups, on-line real time chats across the state, other collegial exchanges, and attendance at national professional literacy conferences (e.g., International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, etc.). Funds may also be used for professional books, substitute time to visit other classrooms for model lessons or for other collegial exchanges designed to disseminate and share literacy-related information. Each collegial will arrange for the hosting of meetings and monthly agendas to meet approximately seven times during the school year.

Extensive use of problem-based methods, including cases and case studies, teacher research, performance assessments, and portfolio evaluation will help teachers apply general propositions derived from research and theory to real problems of practice, thus supporting their developing abilities to reason pedagogically. Learning to think like a teacher requires the combination of multiple kinds and sources of knowledge with a diagnostic eye on both curriculum goals and student needs. Problem-based methods support the development of teaching judgment and tools for inquiry as they are used in practice (Darling- Hammond, LaFors, & Snyder, 2001).