GRANTSMANSHIP
While writing grants is not one of Tom's favorite activities, he writes
grants when the occasion calls for such endeavors. He has written the following
successful grants:
ESEA Title I
From 1972 to 1976 he wrote annual ESEA Title
I grants four years. This resulted in the funding of a small elementary
school for learning disabled and disadvantaged students who read two years
or more behind their grade level. Tom served as elementary principal for
this school. Children were bussed into the school for a half day of instruction
in reading by four reading specialists. The school was remarkably successful in helping
children learn to read, and when they reached their grade level, the returned
to their regular classes.
ESEA
In 1976 chaired a committee that wrote a competitive grant entitled Arts
Reaching Throughout The School (ARTS). As a result of budget cuts Waverly
Schools had to lay off its four elementary art teachers. This three year
grant enabled these teachers to continue in the schools employment as consultants
developing modules for teachers to use that integrated art into science,
social studies, language, and other classes.
Small Business Innovative Research Grant (SBIR)
In 1986 Tom wrote a grant for Active Learning Systems which won funding
from the National Institute of Education to research and test an interactive
cable TV learning system. The system used an interactive laserdisc player
and computer at the head end of a TV cable network and modem connected
to a phone line to control it. Students in remote sites using a dumb terminal
or PC could log on and learn using interactive TV. The system worked effectively,
but was not deemed by ALS to be commercially viable until fiberoptics played
a major role in the American cable infrastructure, so ALS did not pursue
the application of this research.
Private Grants
In the early 1990's Tom wrote grants to fund a St. Thomas technology project.
3M, Peat Marwick, Interactive Personalities, SuperValu, Apple Computer,
and EMC Paradigm Publishing participated in this project which resulted
in interactive laserdiscs, CD-ROMs and interactive Web sites that taught
Accounting. ALS managed the finances and production of these products.
Small Business Innovative Research Grant (SBIR)
In 1998 Tom Co-authored (with Greg Sales, president of Seward Learning
Systems, Inc.) a grant with the U.S. Department of Education to produce
a CD-ROM that taught founders of Charter Schools how to manage school finances.
The prototype of this CD-ROM was completed in 1998 and the construction
of the complete CD-ROM is taking place now.