Federal

Federal Innovation-Grant Winners to Share $135 Million

By Michele McNeil — November 12, 2013 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Twenty-five districts and their nonprofit partners are slated to share $135 million in the latest round of the federal Investing in Innovation competition, the U.S. Department of Education announced last week.

This marks the fourth round of one of the Obama administration’s signature initiatives—a competition designed to find and scale up some of the most innovative ideas for improving education. The largest grants go to the promising ideas that have the strongest evidence base, with smaller awards set aside for more experimental ideas.

Individual awards will range from $2.4 million to $12 million. When the highest-rated applicants were announced Nov. 8, only two traditional school districts were winners: the Cabarrus County school system in Concord, N.C., and the Carroll County schools, in Carrollton, Ga. Both won the smallest development awards.

One charter school operator, University Public Schools in Tempe, Ariz., was a development winner, as was the Maricopa County Education Service Agency, also in Arizona.

“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,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement announcing the awards.

Just as in previous rounds, the new recipients—representing 13 states and the District of Columbia—will have to secure matching funds of up to 15 percent from the private sector by Dec. 11 before they can get their money. Technically, the Education Department calls them “highest-rated applicants” rather than winners until they’ve secured their matches.

Growing Portfolio

This year’s contest marks the second time the Education Department has decided not to award any grants in the “scale up” category, which carried the largest potential funding, $20 million, and required the most evidence of past success.

From a pool of 618 applicants, outside judges helped the department select seven “validation” winners, which could get up to $12 million each, and 18 “development winners,” which stand to get up to $3 million.

“Each year, we are able to grow the portfolio of solutions and the body of evidence that supports these practices,” Nadya Chinoy Dabby, the acting assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement, said in a statement.

With the latest development-grant winners, there are 77 such winners in the department’s portfolio that are implementing new, promising practices, federal officials said.

The regents of the University of California won both a development grant and a larger validation award.

The six other winners in the validation category are: Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound and Teachers College at Columbia University, both in New York City; sri International, with headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif.; Jacksonville State University, in Alabama; Spurwink Services, in Portland, Maine; and the Waterford Institute, in Sandy, Utah.

Other development winners are: CASA de Maryland, in Langley Park, Md.; the Center for Applied Linguistics and the Challenger Center for Space Education, both in the District of Columbia; Connected: The California Center for College and Career, in Berkeley, Calif.; the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, in Savoy, Ill.; Pennsylvania State University; Seneca Family of Agencies, in San Leandro, Calif.; Sonoma State University, in Rohnert Park, Calif.; the New York City Leadership Academy in Long Island City, N.Y.; the Children’s Aid Society in New York City; the Providence Plan, in Rhode Island; the United Way of Greater Atlanta; and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

A version of this article appeared in the November 13, 2013 edition of Education Week as Federal Innovation-Grant Winners to Share $135 Million

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump Threatens Funds to Schools That Let Trans Athletes Compete on Girls' Teams
The sweeping order is a reversal from the Biden administration, and continues efforts from Trump to roll back protections for transgender youth and adults.
4 min read
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Can Trump Ax the Education Department Without Congress?
Trump has been flexing his power through executive orders, and there's the potential for one targeting the Education Department.
7 min read
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Feb. 21, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Feb. 21, 2021. President Donald Trump could issue an executive order to downsize the department. It would have limitations.
Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP
Federal Top House Lawmaker Supports Trump's Bid to 'Depower' Education Department
The House education committee chairman believes "even the best-meaning bureaucrat" can't understand what's happening in local schools.
5 min read
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks during an event at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., speaks at the U.N. Climate Summit on Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai. Walberg, the newly minted chair of the U.S. House's education and workforce committee, said at a Tuesday event that he wouldn't stand in the way of President Donald Trump's efforts to diminish or close the U.S. Department of Education.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
8 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP