School Resource Center awarded $16,000 grant

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK— K-12 educators across the state will soon have additional resources for teaching geography. The National Geographic Foundation has awarded the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center (OPSRC) a $16,000 grant to develop and deliver creative, effective content for social studies and geography teachers. The National Geographic funding program supports initiatives designed to improve the quality of geography education in Oklahoma.

OPSRC will partner with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) to identify and work with six teachers across Oklahoma to develop training for their peers. These educators will use their teaching experience to design professional development (PD) courses for fellow educators based on gaps they see in existing PD opportunities. Further, they will help ensure courses meet state standards and will earn a stipend for each course they develop.

These courses will reside on OPSRC’s online learning management system so teachers across the state can access them, regardless of their physical location. More than 12,000 teachers statewide are already active users on the platform.

“We are excited about receiving this grant and partnering with OSDE to expand professional development opportunities to social studies educators at all levels,” said OPSRC Director of Learning & Product Services Jason Midkiff. “This funding will allow us to combine social studies teachers’ talents with National Geographic resources to bring even more high-quality lessons into the classroom.”

Interested educators are invited to contact Jason Midkiff at jason.midkiff@opsrc.net to get involved.