Links to Learning

This program provides educators in the Washoe County School District with monetary awards
to fund projects to enhance student learning. This committee also enjoys a Math Club Coaching Initiative, offering engaging and challenging activities led by The 1701 Group volunteers at local schools.

There are two types of awards for teachers: Teacher Awards for individual teachers and $10,000 Academic Enhancement Awards for groups of teachers. Applications for the 2026-2027 Academic Enhancement Awards are now open. Please open the guidelines below.

Academic Enhancement Award Guidelines

ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT AWARDS were awarded for the 2025-2026 school year. The six winning teams that received awards of $10,000 each were:

Alice Smith Elementary. The kindergarten team will lead a project to integrate STEAM and robotics activities into the current reading, math, and science curricula at all grade levels. Their goal is to create an environment where STEAM is integrated into daily activities.

Clayton Middle School. This goal of this project is to enhance student literacy and to foster creativity and critical thinking skills through the addition of diverse, engaging books to the school library and by equipping the library’s Makerspace to promote hands-on STEM/STEAM activities.

Florence Drake Elementary. Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade classrooms will work together to implement an innovative, strategic approach to improving language, literacy and readiness skills as well as improve self-regulation and social emotional learning for their students.

Sky Ranch Middle School. By utilizing the school library as a collaborative hub, this project provides teachers with the resources and professional development needed to embed STEAM into their instruction effectively. Students will strengthen their problem-solving skills through coding, engineering challenges and scientific investigations.

Robert Mitchell Elementary. Their project’s focus is the core foundational skills in the areas of reading, writing, and math. Resources will be provided to teachers in grades K-5 to support skill development.

Vaughn Middle School. The project goal is to improve student reading skills using a platform that supports schoolwide literacy. The program will be used with ELA, special education, and ELL as well as all academic subject areas to promote development of vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension of academic language.

TEACHER AWARDS are available each fall to teachers who teach in selected elementary schools with low socio-economic student populations. Schools are eligible on a rotating basis.

Teachers from selected schools will be notified when applications are open and may apply for up to $500 each for projects that directly involve students and focus on student achievement. Groups of up to four teachers may apply for a joint award of up to $2,000.

Last year approximately 10,000 students benefitted directly from Links to Learning Teacher Awards. This included the purchase of library books, technology, and equipment such as science materials and math manipulatives.