In the 2024-25 school year, LAEF piloted a new Deeper Learning Grant program for teachers and staff, awarding $14,000 in grants to projects across LASD’s elementary and junior high schools. The program is funded by LAEF’s Endowment Fund, established by the LAEF board in 1997 to provide an income-generated source of funding for projects like the Deeper Learning Grants. 

The Deeper Learning Grants program aimed to:

• Recognize and reward teachers 
• Bring deeper meaning to the curriculum
• Improve students’ educational experiences. 

2024-25 Deeper Learning Grant Awards

Here are the projects that were awarded Deeper Learning Grants the 2024-25 school year:

Under 5 Inland Voyage
Lisa Schubert, Joan O'Dell, Cici Nakano, Ellen St. Amand, Maddie Hernandez, Lindamaris Ortiz, Allison White, Kathleen Won
District-Wide - All TK Classrooms

The Marine Science Institute (MSI) came to each TK class for a 60-minute session.  The topics align with our TWIG Science Unit, Ocean Deep, taught in the spring. This opportunity is so exciting because it enables “the field trip to come to us” for TK students who are too young to ride a bus for a field trip.

Flexible Seating for Collaboration and Deeper Learning
CJ Evenhuis, Kathy Mahallati - Covington 4th Graders

This project creates an inclusive learning environment where every student has the opportunity to actively participate, collaborate, and contribute. The whiteboard tables fostered strong peer collaboration and created an ideal workspace for a variety of activities, including science demonstrations, social studies board game design, book club discussions, and interactive note-taking. The ability for everyone to contribute—enhanced by color-coding—made participation visible and inclusive. The smooth surface also made it easy for students to share ideas, sketch, and engage in creative art projects. Additionally, the larger community (i.e. Art Docents, Project Cornerstone leads, Computer Science educators) have recognized the benefits and incorporated them into their experiences with students in the classroom as well.

EL Support
Esther Cho - Loyola 4th Grade

This project empowers students by providing them with the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their language background. It fosters inclusivity, builds confidence, and promotes a deeper understanding of language and culture, helping students thrive academically and feel valued in the classroom. “I love the books, especially the graphic novels. I see my peers reading these books, so I am glad I can, too." Overall, these Spanish books have been incredibly helpful for the student to feel more confident in learning and improving reading skills in a language they can access. Future Spanish-speaking students at Loyola will have access to these books as we start seeing more Spanish-speaking students in the school. Other grade teachers with Spanish kids are also reusing these books.

Hands-on engineering experiences that bring science and history to life
Esther Cho, Joanie Craddock - Loyola 4th Grade

Students thrive when given opportunities to prototype, revise, and creatively present their understanding. Integrating technology (Makey Makey, Doodle Bots) into the core curriculum deepens engagement and supports cross-disciplinary learning since the projects were related to history, ELA, and math. The projects help students show their creativity, practice critical thinking skills, and promote collaboration. The Makey Makey integration brought excitement to the classroom and introduced computer science concepts in an accessible way. The grant funding allowed us to enrich our curriculum with quality materials that supported deeper learning.

Vertical Thinking
Mollie Smoke Kesselring, Josh Molksness, Diane Sasaki, Sharon Moerner, Dana Hardester - Blach

This project excites both teachers and students by fostering active engagement through collaboration. Instead of passively listening, students actively participate in structured, interactive learning experiences. Research supports that vertical whiteboards and standing activities enhance participation, critical thinking, and retention, making learning more dynamic and effective. Getting the students up out of their seats, answering more abstract questions in a small group (2-3 random students per grouping) has really increased the engagement of all students and the ease at which we see students working together with students other than their friend groups, so the environment is comfortably inclusive.

Taste Buds
Amanda Greenleaf - Loyola

Food brings people together, and cooking is an activity that allows for learning and applying skills in a hands-on way that students enjoy. My cooking club, Taste Buds, is an inclusion initiative to foster relationships among students without disabilities and students who have disabilities, by providing a high-interest setting where students will discover common interests and work together, without the barriers that exist in the classroom and on the playground.

The Lantern Project
AJ Johnson - Covington

This project was born out of something that my students were interested in: how can we beautify Covington’s campus? The students have also been saying that they are feeling tired and unmotivated as we start the countdown to graduation. By creating something tangible, students will see firsthand how math is used in design, engineering, architecture, and art. My hope is that by increasing the authenticity in our classroom, we will see an increase in motivation, engagement, and excitement. In this project, students will learn about geometry and algebra by designing their own paper lanterns. These lanterns will provide students a tangible value for learning geometry: to create beautiful work that is complex and professional. The end placement of these lanterns will vary based on the needs/ interests of the students.

Making Biographies Come Alive
Anne Blaha - Blach

While students need to learn about iconic figures like Jackie Robinson and Marie Curie, they often read those books quickly and are left asking, “Who else?” or “Are there any more people like ___?” By expanding our biography collection, we can further that excitement and provide modern, relevant biographies for our students to explore. Our students have already had a preview of biographies as part of their nonfiction unit earlier this year, and they were so enthusiastic about the texts. Furthermore, widening our range of texts will help our students explore more key figures to admire and learn from.

Collaboration for RSP
Brittany Axelrod - Covington

This project excites both students and staff because it breaks up traditional seated lessons, increasing activity, engagement, and creativity. Whiteboard tables will enhance collaboration by providing a versatile surface for brainstorming, problem-solving, and interactive group work, fostering creativity and engagement among participants. The collaborative environment fosters teamwork, allows for immediate feedback, and provides an equitable learning space where students feel empowered to take an active role in their education. By reducing the logistical barriers of traditional whiteboard use, the resource room becomes a dynamic and engaging space for all learners.

If you have questions about Deeper Learning Grants, please email DLgrants@laefonline.org.