The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new education technology grant program, Next Generation Learning Challenges, announced its second wave of grant funding last week, this time geared toward K-12 education.
The challenge grants, worth up to $10 million, will be awarded to promising technology tools and applications that can help students master math and literacy skills. The proposals, due March 4, must outline approaches that align to the grade 7-9 competency standards of the Common Core State Standards Initiative; contain modular content that can be easily mixed by teachers; use embedded assessment to measure student performance and provide feedback; and build on ideas based on contemporary research in cognitive and learning science.
The program is the first direct investment into education technology by the Gates Foundation in nearly a decade. It started with an initial wave of postsecondary grants last fall worth up to $20 million. The Hewlett Foundation added a $1.4 million investment to the program this year.
