WSRA Pat Bricker Memorial Award
Applying for a Pat Bricker Award
Pat Bricker Awards are given annually by WSRA for either traditional or classroom action research related to literacy. Proposals may request anywhere from $25 to $500 depending on the nature of the study and the funding needed.
Two major awards up to $500 are given, one in each of the following categories:
- Anyone may enter
- ClassroomTeachers
- Reading Teachers
- Reading Specialists
Proposals in the Limited Category that do not receive a major award will be considered for a separate award of up to $200. Depending on the quality of the proposals, up to ten awards will be funded. Proposals must be received by December 1 .
Research must be completed by the end of the school year after the award is received. For example, if a proposal is submitted by Dec. 1, and an award is given at WSRA in February, the research must be completed by the end of that school year.
All proposals must follow the appropriate format. The body of the proposal must be 500-1000 words (single-spaced). Attach your list of 3-5 references/bibliography and budget. Total proposals, bibliography, and budget must total no more than 4 pages. Proposals exceeding 4 pages wil not be considered. Separate rubrics are provided for each of the two types of research, traditional and classroom action research. Follow these carefully since they reflect the criteria on which your proposal will be evaluated.
Recipients of Pat Bricker Memorial Awards must be willing to share their findings in one of the following ways: as an article in the WSRA Journal , as a report on the WSRA Website , as part of a column in WSRA Update , or in a presentation at the WSRA Conference . We want our membership to have the benefit of your results!
Any member of the Wisconsin State Reading Association is eligible to apply for a Pat Bricker Memorial Award. If more than one person is involved in conducting the study, at least one of the applicants must be a WSRA member . This could provide an excellent opportunity for a reading specialist to develop a classroom action study with content teachers or other individuals in a school on a topic related to reading.
Think about gathering some data on what is happening in your classroom or in your school. For example,
- Is there a teaching strategy you would like to try in your class?
- Are there some teaching materials that you would like to test?
- You might look at what happens to your programs when you change approaches or materials.
Consider developing a classroom action study and applying for a Pat Bricker Memorial Award. If you have any questions about developing a proposal, feel free to contact any member of the WSRA Research Committee.
Tania Mertzman
2253 N Summit Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53202
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