DonorsChoose.org has challenged blogs, big and small, to inspire their communities and raise money for students in the countries most under-served high schools.   Simply remarkable.   It works like this:   teachers submit project proposals to the site, bloggers choose their favorites, readers contribute, DonorsChoose.org purchases and ships the materials, and the students get the support they deserve.

The materials requested range from the classical (books, art supplies, instruments) to the technical (cameras, podcast equipment, GPS) and everywhere in between (cooking supplies, hockey sticks, recycling bins), with many focusing on greening their classrooms.   While many blog heavyweights have gotten involved it was the relatively small and obscure Tomato Nation that won last year, raising over $100,000.  Both Fortune and Technorati help readers keep track of how their blogs and projects are fairing against the rest.   With potential rewards coming from Yahoo!, and Google, bloggers are getting creative with what they promise their readers in exchange for donating.

Last year’s challenge raised $420,000 for 75,000 kids, and this year will, no doubt, provide teachers with the resources they sadly lack. Blogs of all stripes and sizes are taking part, including Boing Boing, TechCrunch and engadget.   What an amazing opportunity to make a huge difference in classrooms across the country.

takepart by supporting public schools through the Blogger Challenge!