What do you dream of for your classroom? For your school? For your students? Dreams can become realities with the Follett Challenge.
Winning schools share $200,000 in products and services from Follett. That includes library books, interactive books, eBooks, early learning products, makerspace kits, 3D printers, and much more. Wow!
To enter, you’ll need to complete an application and create a short video about your plans. Videos should explain the innovative and unique ideas you have for teaching 21st century skills. You’ll find lots of fun and inspiring examples from schools that have won previously here.
Dozens of schools around the country have seen their dreams come true as winners in the Follett Challenge. Will your school be one of them? The only way to know is to go ahead and apply!
Read on to find all of the details about this amazing opportunity. Good luck!
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PS: Want to win something right now? Post a comment to this blog about what you dream of for your classroom, and let us know what grade you teach. One lucky teacher will be selected to win a prize pack of books and other goodies from Learning magazine. Submit your comment by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, December 12, to be included in our random drawing.
Follett Challenge: The Basics
Who can enter?
All public and private K-12 schools/districts in the U.S., Canada, and Australia
Who has won?
Schools big and small, rural and urban, you name it. Get the full list here.
- Chase County Elementary in Strong City, KS, won for its real-life learning program tied to the local cattle industry. The fifth graders bid on, bought, raised, and sold their own cattle!
- Sunrise Elementary in Aurora, CO, won for its Newbery Club. Kids read Newbery contenders and then make a case for which books they feel should win. One child described the process of fighting for books she believed should win: “It’s like wrestling with words!”
- Deer Park Elementary in Owings Mills, MD, created a makerspace that’s popping with ideas and opportunities to explore, grow, learn, code, read, create, solve problems, celebrate, and more.
- Pearson Elementary in Durham, NC, followed their mascot Sage the Snail on exciting learning adventures in and around their library.
What are the prizes?
- Three semifinalists win a $30,000 prize.
- The Grand Prize winner, selected from the three semifinalists, earns an additional $30,000, for a total of $60,000, plus a celebration at their school.
- Ten $8,000 prizes will be awarded to People’s Choice winners—the schools that receive the highest number of online votes for their videos.
When are applications due?
- Dec. 15, 2017: Entries close
- Jan. 22–26, 2018: People’s Choice voting
- Feb. 28, 2018: Semifinalists and 10 People’s Choice video winners announced
- April 27, 2018: Grand-prize winner announced
Looking for tips?
Check out these sources:
- Tips from a Follett Challenge judge
- Ideas from last year’s winning elementary school
- Visit the Follett Challenge hub
- Check out Follett on Facebook and Twitter
Want to read the fine print?
It’s here.
I dream that each student in my school (I am in the library) has a warm outerwear, enough food in their bellies, and a warm, safe place to live.
I dream that I can meet the needs of all of my special students.
I dream of getting Dash and Dot robots for my young (Kindergarten) learners.
I had a complete blast learning how to use them and I know my students will too!!
I really encourage you all to apply for the Follett Challenge. It’s an incredible opportunity, and it’s not that hard to apply!
I would LOVE to win a set of Chromebook carts for my classroom that I didn’t have to share with anyone.
I would love to win books for my kiddos. I wish they had current amazing stories to pick from instead of old and worn stories they have heard way too often. I wish I had more books to share with them but I have so few and they are from my own personal library and our school library is not exactly current.
I want each of
My kiddos to learn to love learning because if they do they can become anything they want in this world. For my classroom I would love to win the books. Books help
You discover the world
I dream of getting an interactive whiteboard for my classroom.
I dream of having a classroom full of interactive STEM activities for my early learners. I teach pre-kindergarten in a public school. We have experienced budget cuts, year after year. I want to inspire my students to think outside of the box, and explore new and exciting opportunities.
I wish I had a life skills curriculum for my special needs classroom to help them reach their maximum potential.
My dream is that I can meet the needs of my special education students and the general education students in my classroom.
My dream for my 2nd & 3rd grade class is for every student to feel heard, loved, accepted, and appreciated.
I Dream of cabinets full of engaging text for my students to dig into!
I teach first grade in a small school and I would have an iPad for each of my kids, I have 15 and I am the only first grade teacher. I would also get more flexible seating and books.
I would love to have flexible seats for my special needs students. So many of them have problems with movement during work times that having an array of seating choices would be amazing to help them succeed.
It’s my dream to have enough printed books for children to develop a love for holding a book, smelling the pages, and learning to read the words and enjoy reading for their life time.
Happy Happy Birthday Jan! As a teacher, a mom and a future grandmother, I have loved your books!
Take Care,
Robin McAfee