Patrick Lyndon Civics Teacher Receives Grant from Facing History

WEST ROXBURY, Massachussetts (May 28, 2014) - Facing History and Ourselves will award over $47,200 in grants to support innovative teacher education projects around the world, the international education nonprofit organization announced today, including Patrick Lyndon K-8 School civics teacher John Padula. 

John, a trained educational technology specialist, will work with three teachers from Washington, Alabama, and nearby Sandwich, Massachusetts, to explore a better way to engage Boston Public Schools students in Facing History’s Choices in Little Rock curriculum. The three teachers share a desire to impact their students in a deep way, looking specifically at issues of racism. They will use their online professional learning community to further explore how transformational teaching and learning can help students become agents for change.

“This award recognizes those educators who are going above and beyond to nurture the intellectual as well as the moral development of their students,” Facing History Associate Executive Director Marty Sleeper said. “These are teachers who are making an enormous difference in the world.”

The Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants grew out of a teaching award established in 2006 to recognize Facing History-trained educators who are thinking outside-the-box to transform schools and impact student learning. 

This week, Facing History awarded over $42,200 to fund 18 cutting-edge classroom projects around the world that focus on technological innovation and collaborative learning. In the coming months, the organization will also award a $5,000 grand prize to a 2013 Innovative Grant winner to further his or her work.  

Find out more about the individual winners and their winning projects here.