By WRAL Tech Wire STEM News

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that $150 million will be available for the next round of Investing in Innovation (i3) grants.

Applications are due Aug. 2.

The i3 grants aim to continue supporting evidence-based practices in education. Individual school districts, groups of districts, and nonprofits in partnership with districts or a consortium of schools can apply.

Award amounts have been adjusted to ensure that applicants have sufficient funding to carry out program goals while enabling the DoE to fund as many high-quality applications as possible.

Grants will be available within the same three categories as in Round 1:

• Up to $25 million each will be available for Scale-up grants to applicants with the strongest evidence and track records of success;

• Up to $15 million each will be available for Validation grants to verify effectiveness for programs with moderate levels of evidence;

• Up to $3 million each will be available for Development grants to support new and high-potential practices whose impact should be studied further.

Grant recipients will be required to secure private-sector matching funds of 5 percent, 10 percent or 15 percent, respectively.

For the second round, two new priorities were added focusing on achievement and high school graduation rates in rural schools and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The three absolute priorities that remain from last year’s competition include supporting effective teachers and principals, implementing high standards and quality assessments, and turning around persistently low-performing schools.

All applicants must address one of these five key areas of reform.

“Smart innovation and entrepreneurship has the ability to dramatically accelerate student achievement and attainment,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “The next round of i3 grants will add to the growing portfolio of new and emerging successful practices in education and invest in ideas that help supply teachers and students with the tools they need to be successful.”

In addition, competitive preference will be given to grantees that demonstrate support for improving early learning outcomes, increasing college access and success, addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and limited English proficient students, or improving productivity or technology.

In round one, the i3 program received nearly 1,700 applicants and awarded a total of 49 grants to a cross section of school districts and non-profit organizations.

Applications are due on Aug. 2. Awards will be made no later than Dec. 31.

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