Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators and Staff.

Anyone who has ever said, "If only I knew how to write grants and get award money, I could help change things around here," will find a perfect solution to that problem. Beverly A. Browning's book, Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators and Staff, will help educators find answers to three key questions: Where is the money? What format does a funding agency want to see in an application? What do I have to write to receive a favorable review and secure a grant?

Browning shares her expertise as a national grant-writing consultant to help anyone who ever thought of soliciting outside funds for a specific purpose. Her counsel might be especially helpful to smaller school districts and charter school leaders.

Each chapter focuses on one aspect of grant writing with such titles as "Learning the Lingo to Trump the Competition" and "Winning Foundation Grant Proposals." The three action steps at the end of each chapter serve as an effective summary.

Additional assets are Browning's two appendices, one labeled "Grant Writing Tips A to Z" and the other a compilation of further resources.

After reading her book, the reader may want to follow Browning's suggestion: "... [S]harpen your pencils, blow out the dust in your computer mouse and get ready to combine your writing and computer skills."

(Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators and Staff by Beverly A. Browning, Solution Tree, Bloomington, Ind., 2005, 121 pp., $9.95 softcover)

Reviewed by George E. Pawlas Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.