Classroom Library Grants

Aims and Eligibility

National English Honor Society offers Classroom Library Grants designed to enhance the Society's goals of:

  • promoting interest in literature and language within NEHS schools;
  • fostering all aspects of English study including literature, language, writing, and media;
  • providing teachers at NEHS schools with a range of compelling literature to share with the students they teach; and
  • giving students access to diverse, inclusive, and high-quality texts, particularly in areas where access to libraries or books at home may be limited.

Awards

Teachers are eligible for awards of up to $400.

Eligibility

  • English language arts teachers who are within their first five years serving as NEHS Advisors of active chapters in good standing with NEHS.
  • Applicants may only contend for this award once every two years and can only win the award once.

Apply through NEHS AwardSpring Platform

Step 1

NEHS AwardSpring application link

The NEHS AwardSpring application link will be posted through October 3, 2022, 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Register for an account with your email address and a password in AwardSpring.

Step 2

Complete the questionnaire, including contact information, to determine if you are eo apply for the Classroom Library Grant.

Step 3

Complete all question fields about the grant.
  1. Provide a written narrative, not to exceed 500 words, including:
    • information about the school where you teach and the local area, including the percentage of students at your school on the free and reduced lunch program;
    • the level of access your students have to a school library (hours, number of books available that can be checked out per student over what period, or other relevant information regarding access);
    • the proximity of the nearest public library and information about its holdings, policies, and hours that might affect student access;
    • information about the local culture that may affect the kind of books students have access to in the home or through school and public libraries;
    • an explanation of how you envision a classroom library supporting your students' efforts toward literacy and a love of literature, language, and writing; and
    • if your classroom library has shared access with other teachers, please explain how it works.
  2. Wishlist - Submit a list of 20-30 titles you plan to purchase with the funds. You may reference this list in your narrative if you want to explain the rationale for including certain titles.

Step 4

Request Letter(s) of Support.

Through the AwardSpring application, you must request a letter of support from a supervisor at your school (your principal, vice principal, department chair, or senior colleague).

The letter should:

  • confirm your number of years in the classroom;
  • confirm demographic and geographic information about the school;
  • endorse your plans for using the library grant funds; and
  • include the letter writer's mailing address, email address, and phone number.

Evaluation Process

  1. All submissions will be evaluated by the NEHS Advisory Council
  2. All applications will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories:
    1. Lack of economic and geographic access to books at your school, or another demonstrated need
    2. The explanation of how the classroom library envisioned will support your goals in alignment with the goals of NEHS
    3. Supervisory endorsement of your classroom library project status
  3. Awards will be given purely based on merit, not based on the imperative that all funds should be spent annually.

 

Past Recipients

 

Scholarships/Awards