Innovation Grants

Innovation Grants
Part of the $5 billion investment in school reform in ARRA is designed to promote local efforts to start and/or expand research-based innovative programs designed to close the achievement gap between selected groups of students, reduce the dropout rates, and improve teacher and leader effectiveness.  This initiative will be supported by the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund.

The fund will be administered by the US Department of Education and awarded through a competitive process to independent school districts.  Grant money will be used to develop original ideas and extend proven programs that close achievement gaps among groups of students in K-12, improve student progress toward proficiency, increase graduation rates, or recruit and retain high-quality teachers and principals.  All grants have a mandatory recipient match.

Grant money will be awarded in 3 categories:

1. Scale-up grants:  Focused on programs and practices with the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of students.
2. Validation grants:  Promising programs that have good evidence of their effect and are ready for expansion or duplication.
3. Development grants:  Support new and promising practices whose effect needs additional evaluation.

In the news

Local ISDs and coalitions of ISDs may begin the application process with the US Department of Education in the spring of 2010.  Funding from the Investing in Innovation Fund will allow Texas to develop and expand early childhood education literacy programs for children age birth through 5 years old.  The program expansion is intended to improve school readiness and raise student achievements.  Funding awards are expected for announcement September 30, 2010.