We never require a vita - many teachers do not have an updated, elegantly printed version and will put off applying if they believe that is essential. All Partnership programs ask for a letter of support from the principal or supervisor. We believe it is important for administrators to be informed of the professional activities of the staff - and to support them. The Partnership never asks for more than two release-days for any project. Since administrators' letters are often slow in arriving, we have a pre-printed form ready to mail to the applicant stating that we have received the application but not the letter of support.
Principals can write one letter of support for an entire team.
The advantage of publishing an application deadline in all materials is that you have a completed roster well before the event. We also recommend accepting at least 2 applicants to a waiting list - there are always participants who have to drop out for personal or professional reasons. The Partnership sends a personal letter of acceptance to each participant with a copy to the principal, superintendent, and if someone else wrote the letter of support, to that person as well. A copy of this letter is later included with the request to the business manager for stipend payments in order to provide appropriate documentation. We have found that newspapers are interested in school success stories - but are more likely to accept them from the schools than from us.