The program staff will provide advice, assistance, and funds to aid in transfer of the research experience into meaningful teaching exercises. However, we also must have support from the teachers' schools. The following items must be agreed to by the applicant's school district.

• Participating teachers will be allowed to redesign their courses as necessary to promote the transfer of their research experience to their classroom as long as the courses conform to the guidelines of the TEKS (Texas Educational Knowledge and Skills).
• During the academic year following the summer research experience, participating teachers will be allowed 5 consecutive days of leave to attend an appropriate scientific meeting, which will be arranged and paid for in part by the SMTEI. The school district will hire a substitute teacher and will pay the teachers their normal salary during the time they are attending the meeting. The teachers are expected to notify their administrator as to the dates of these meetings as soon as they know them.
• During the year following the summer research experience, participating teachers will be allowed the use of staff development and teacher workdays to provide in-service instruction for other science teachers. This in-service instruction may include the participation of the teachers' summer mentors, or may include visits to their mentors' laboratories at SWT. These visits would be part of the scheduled follow-up activities described in the Summer Teacher Research Experience proposal.
• If not already in place, the school district will provide and support a dedicated Internet connection and at least one computer in the teacher's primary classroom or laboratory.
• The school/school district receiving the transfer check will allow the teacher to administer the spending of this money without requiring the teacher to spend personal funds first and then be reimbursed. Should the teacher be reassigned to another school by the school district, the transfer fund should follow the teacher. Should the teacher leave the school district during the school year for any reason, then the transfer fund stays with the school district.

In return for these commitments, the teacher's school receives a better trained, enthusiastic science or math teacher and a check for $1,400 to spend on the teacher's behalf.

The fine print: The teacher's principal or other appropriate administrator must agree to the above by signing the Commitment Form, which will be sent to you after we receive your complete application form and determine your eligibility. Please note that the transfer fund check must be sent to the teacher's current school (district). If a teacher changes schools during the summer, the check goes to the new school - which also must provide a signed agreement to the above terms. If a teacher fails to return to teaching after the summer experience, no transfer check will be issued. In no case will a transfer check be issued in the absence of a signed agreement. The SMTEI reserves the right to determine the validity of the signing entity.

You will be sent a "school commitment form" when we receive your application, but if you are in a hurry to get the forms signed and submitted, you can get it here. Requires Adobe Acrobat to view and print.

Posted 5/13/02. Click here to return to Brochure Front Page.