Hot Opportunities

Grants, Awards and Programs - ACT NOW!

Global Economics and Finance Mini-Grants - Available for you and your school now until March 5th!  Apply Today!

Have an idea, lesson or activity that incorporates a global perspective into your curriculum?  GEF Mini Grants can provide YOU with funding support!  ICEE has a limited number of Global Economics and Finance Mini-Grants available.  Any Illinois school, classroom (or supporting Center) committed to the integration of economics with a global perspective may apply. 

EconChallenge ONLINE! - Register through February 11

Illinois teachers are invited to engage their students in ICEE’s first online competition for Econ Challenge! The competition is open to all Illinois high school students enrolled in an economics (or economics-related social studies) course during the current academic year. Illinois EconChallenge ONLINE! will administer the preliminary rounds of this academic competition. The top teams will be eligible for and will be invited to participate in the Illinois State Econ Challenge Finals at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on April 7, 2008.  To find out more about this competition and to register, go to www.econchallenge.org.  Click on the state of Illinois to enter the EconChallenge ONLINE! web site for complete information and to register as a participating teacher.

For additional assistance, contact Jodi Long, ICEE Econ Challenge Assistant, at 815.753.0356 or ilec@niu.edu

3M Educator Awards - Don’t delay, plan your entry today!

The 3M Innovative Economic Educator Award recognizes teachers who create and implement innovative projects that increase economic understanding.  Teachers of grades K-12 are invited to submit an entry.  Winners of the Innovative Awards receive cash prizes and are honored at the annual Economic Education Awareness Day Awards Luncheon held at the Union League Club in Chicago in October.  To read more about the 3M Award Program, browse past winning entries, or to access the entry form please visit the 3M Economic Educator web page. Take steps to plan your winning unit or project now!  Entries are due by July 15, 2008.

A Curriculum-Rich Virtual Experience - for teachers, schools and districts in Illinois!

ICEE has been awarded a multi–year grant to deliver Virtual Economics 3.0 ( VE 3) to K-12 teachers throughout the state of Illinois! Through funding from State Farm to the National Council on Economic Education, Illinois has been selected as one of 9 states for a major nation-wide initiative to further enhance economic and financial literacy in K-12 schools through dissemination of VE 3. 

Virtual Economics 3.0 is designed to be used by K-12 teachers as a resource tool to enhance the social studies, math, language arts, and science curricula. Professional development workshops can be specifically tailored to fit the needs of your department, grade level, school or district.  VE 3 is designed to be used by K-12 teachers as a refresher in basic economic concepts as well as a comprehensive library of economic lessons that can be infused into the existing curriculum.  The CD includes over 1,200 printable lessons; the lessons have been correlated to state content standards.  Each trained teacher is eligible to receive one complementary copy of the VE 3 CD valued at $99.50 upon completing the two-hour training workshop.

Visit the Virtual Economics pages of the ICEE web site to browse the list of already scheduled workshops, and for information on how you might schedule a VE 3 workshop in your school or district. For information on Virtual Economics®: Version 3.0, you can also contact ICEE at icee@niu.edu or 815.753.0356.

In Search of the 2008 Money Smart Kid

Looking for an excellent opportunity for your 5-8th grade students to employ both writing skills and financial literacy skills?

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago officially kicked off its search for the 2008 Money Smart Kid - Chicago region on February 1st.  Students in grades 5-8 are encouraged to enter the contest by submitting an essay answering this year's questions.  Student essays are due no later than April 1, 2008.  One student will be named this year's Money Smart Kid - Chicago, winning a $5,000 scholarship from HSBC.

Similar competitions are being held in Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana, and the Quad Cities.  To learn more about Money Smart Week and the Money Smart Kid Contests, please visit the Money Smart web site of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and download the Money Smart Kid Package for your area.