Toyota Provides Grants for Innovative Programs

Now in its eleventh year, Toyota TAPESTRY is a large K-12 science teacher grant program that provides grants for innovative programs designed for the classroom. Since its inception, TAPESTRY has awarded nearly $4.5 million to 443 teams of teachers in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of the Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands. Awardees of the grant are treated to a four-day, all-expenses paid trip to St. Louis for the NSTA national convention, where the grants are presented during a dinner reception.

A look at the following winning programs reveals some interesting project ideas. Because energy problems are plaguing the country, alternative sources of energy, from plasmas to retaining ponds to soybeans, are topics of four TAPESTRY programs. Are digital cameras the new “it” device for primary school science programs? Digital cameras turned up as line items on 14 program budgets this year. Native American issues emerged as the foundation for two programs: the first addresses low-water vegetation for landscaping on reservation land of the Western Navajo Nation, and the second proposes a study of Native American DNA in Oklahoma. Toyota, (310) 468-4119, www.toyota.com/about/community-care/education/index.html.

Featured

  • laptop screen displaying a typed essay, on a child

    McGraw Hill Acquires Essaypop Digital Learning Tool

    Education company McGraw Hill has announced the acquisition of Essaypop, a cloud-based writing tool that will enhance the former's portfolio of personalized learning capabilities.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.