On November 8, the U.S. Department of Education announced the twenty-five highest-rated applications received as part of the fourth round of the Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition, which will award more than $135 million to expand innovative practices designed to improve student achievement. To receive federal funding under the program, these potential grantees must secure private sector matching funds by December 11, 2013.
“In this era of rapid change, we must make sure that our students are keeping pace with the rigor, relevance, and changing demands of the global job market,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “I am encouraged by the innovative ideas to accelerate student achievement demonstrated in these applications.”
Among the issues addressed in the twenty-five applications are programs for training parents and families in the skills and strategies that support their children’s educational growth and redesigning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) course content and instructional practices to engage students and increase their academic achievement.
Thirteen states—Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Utah)—and the District of Columbia were represented among the twenty-five highest-rated applications.
More information on the i3 grant competition and the list of twenty-five highest-rated applications are available at http://1.usa.gov/1acp37S.