On August 20 at the America’s Choice Superintendent’s Symposium Secretary Duncan announced the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), a $650 million competitive grant program designed to “support efforts to bring to scale educational practices with significant evidence of success in improving student achievement and support the development, implementation, replication, and further evaluation of promising innovative practices.” While the proposed guidance has not been issued yet, the Secretary and Jim Shelton, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, wanted to start the conversation early so that eligible Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and non-profits could start to find each other and form partnerships for applications. (This program is not open to corporations.)
During the presentation, Mr. Shelton outlined the five key design principles:
- Outcomes (student achievement, matriculation, graduation)
- Evidence (quality and relevance)
- Learning (quality and importance of potential insights)
- Sustainability (financial and stakeholder support)
- Scalability (strategy, capacity, and feasibility)
Although all are equally important, Mr. Shelton stated that the ability to financially sustain a program outside of Dept. of Education funding is especially essential, since the $650 million is a relatively small, one-time investment. He also said that we shouldn’t be thinking of education in terms of slots, e.g., Title I, IDEA, etc. Instead, the education community should be thinking about how to use resources across the board.
All funds must be obligated by September 30, 2010.
View the presentation on the ACT website.
Read the transcript of Secretary Duncan’s remarks.
Read the Department of Education I3 Fact Sheet.
I hope you will consider providing improvement grants to assist us in our efforts to desegregate our schools. So little has been said and done by this administration to address the results of segregated scholls on kids of color. Statewide desgregation programs allow the benefits of schools in wealthier communities to be shared with kids of more diverse and less well off kids in the state. Moreover, less diverse communities agree that they benefit from desegregated classrooms.Most parents want their kids to grow up familiar with many perspectives and lifestyles. Interdistrict desegregation programs provide these benefits.
HI There
Would you by any chance be interested in funding a new HIV/AIDS book that Prof Smith and I have nearly finished compiling??
Regards
Dave Briggs
South Africa
Remember that the difference between i3 and various other education programs is not as great as it sounds, as we describe in more detail here.
Although all are equally important, Mr. Shelton stated that the ability to financially sustain a program outside of Dept. of Education funding is especially essential…
Almost every Federal program has a section on sustainability. Few actually achieve it, for the reasons we describe here.