Investing in Innovation


Investing in Innovation (i3) Rural Grantee Webinar set for June 22, 2016

The U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) Program recently announced a June 22 webinar with two i3 grantees working to improve achievement in rural high schools.


U.S. Department of Education Announces Start of 2014 Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant Competition

On March 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the $134 million 2014 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition with the release of the program's invitation for pre-applications for the i3 Development grants (up to $3,000,000 each).


How Scaling Up Reading Recovery is Meeting the Needs of Students in Rural Schools

A part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund and private funders are providing grantees the opportunity to make significant strides in education. The Ohio University was among those applicants for which the Rural Trust provided funding support.


U.S. Department of Education Announces Start of 2013 i3 Grant Competition

On March 27, 2013, the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the $150 million 2013 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition with the release of the program's invitation for pre-applications for the i3 "Development" grant category and the notice of final priorities for the i3 program overall.


Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant

View the latest Rural Trust i3 resources here, including archived webinars, presentations, and grant competition news. The Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant was established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides funding to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations in partnership with one or more LEAs or a consortium of schools.


Rural School Innovation Webinar: The STAR School

The featured innovation of this Rural School Innovations Series Webinar from February 2013 was the STAR School, and focused on the "3-to-3rd " Math Project.


Rural School Innovations Webinar: The STAR School's "3-to-3rd Project"

Register now for the next Rural School and Community Trust webinar to be held, Wednesday, February 13, 2013, at 2:00 pm EST. This no-cost presentation will discuss The STAR School's 3-to-3rd Math Project and highlight the training films which show educators serving rural, low-income students how they can implement this innovative program.


STEM STAR Offers Effective Model for Technology Integration in Rural Schools

The STEM STAR model trains high school students to work with teachers and other students to expand their technology skills, integrate technology in teaching and learning, and develop and evaluate substantial technology-infused science project.
Date: September 26, 2012
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, Investing in Innovation, Technology


Ten Highly Rated i3 Pre-Applicants Focus on Rural Education

Among the 124 highly rated pre-applicants for i3 Development grants, ten selected Rural Education as an Absolute Priority.
Date: July 27, 2012
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Programs, Investing in Innovation


Rural School Innovation Webinar: Parents as Teachers

The featured innovation of this Rural School Innovations Series Webinar from June 2012 was Parents as Teachers, and focused on the i3 "Improving Educational Outcomes for American Indian Children" project, named BabyFACE.


Reminder: Don't Miss Upcoming Rural School Innovation Webinar!

The fifth in a series of webinars sponsored by The Rural School and Community Trust is June 13 and there is no cost for registration.


2012 i3 Competition: Resources, Peer Reviewers, and Application Dates

The U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) website lists deadlines for applications and includes an archive of webinars and other resources.


i3 Development Grant Preapplication Deadline

April 9 is the deadline for i3 Preapplications for the U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Investing in Innovation grant competition.


Don't Miss Upcoming i3 Deadlines!

Investing in Innovation Development Grant pre-applications must be submitted by April 9, and the deadline to apply to be a peer reviewer has been extended.
Date: March 30, 2012
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Programs, Investing in Innovation, School Finance/Funding


i3 Call for Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers are needed for the 2012 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition.


Department of Education Launches Pre-Application for 2012 i3 Program

The U.S. Department of Education announced the third year of the Investing in Innovation grant competition for local educational agencies, groups of schools and non-profit organizations to improve student results through innovative practices.


Why Some High-Scoring i3 Rural Projects Did Not Receive Funding

A Rural Trust analysis of rural i3 proposals that earned almost enough points to receive funding finds that the paucity of research and evaluation on rural schools may have hurt these applicants.
Date: October 27, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Investing in Innovation, School Location


Investing in Innovation Round Two Rural Priority

Applications for the latest round of Investing in Innovations grants are in, and a new rural “absolute priority” should result in projects more genuinely focused on rural schools.
Date: October 27, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Investing in Innovation, School Location


Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium Webinar

The latest Rural Trust webinar on innovation in rural education featured the Niswonger Foundation’s College and Career Ready Consortium, which serves 26,100 students in 29 Tennessee high schools. We touch the highlights of that webinar here.
Date: October 27, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: College/University, High School, Investing in Innovation, Webinar


Rural School Innovations Webinar: The Niswonger Foundation's Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium

The Niswonger Foundation's Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium was the focus of the fourth Rural School and Community Trust webinar in the 2010-2011 Rural School Innovations Webinar Series.


Rural School Innovations Webinar: The Niswonger Foundation's Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium

The fourth webinar in a series on rural school innovations is scheduled for September 21st. Sign up now.


New i3 Guidelines Better for Rural Schools

The deadline to apply for 2011 Investing in Innovation grants is August 2. New guidelines make rural schools one of five Absolute Priorities, and other changes could make the i3 program more responsive to the unique needs of rural students and their schools.
Date: June 26, 2011
Related Categories: Investing in Innovation, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Programs, Investing in Innovation, Research


Peer Reviewers Needed to Assess i3 Applications

Reviewers with experience in and knowledge about rural education are needed to help rate applications for the federal Investing in Innovation (i3) competitive grant program. Peer reviewer applications will be accepted through July 8.
Date: June 25, 2011
Related Categories: Investing in Innovation, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Programs, Investing in Innovation, Research


Peer Reviewers Needed for Next i3 Grant Competition

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement is seeking peer reviewers for the newly announced FY 2011 Investing in Innovation Fund grant competition.
Date: June 20, 2011
Related Categories: Funding/Grants/Scholarships, Investing in Innovation
Related Tags: Investing in Innovation


Register Now for the Rural School Innovations Webinar: The New England Network for Personalization and Performance, May 11, 2011

Register now for the next webinar in the Rural School Innovations series.


Rural School Innovations Webinar: The New England Network for Personalization and Performance

The New England Network for Personalization and Performance (NETWORK), created by the Plymouth, Massachusetts School District and the Center for Secondary School Redesign, Inc. (CSSR), was the focus of the third Rural School and Community Trust webinar in the 2010-2011 Rural School Innovations Webinar Series.


Rural Trust Webinar Series Features Rural Innovations: Search Institute: Building Assets-Reducing Risks

The Rural Trust is conducting a series of webinars featuring rural school innovations, including programs that won federal i3 grants and proposed to work in rural communities. The March webinar featured the Search Institute’s BARR program, which builds developmental assets among high school students.


Rural School Innovations Webinar: Search Institute's "Building Assets-Reducing Risks"

Search Institute's "Building Assets-Reducing Risks Program: Replication and Expansion of an Effective Strategy to Turn Around Low-Achieving Schools" was the focus of this Rural School Innovations Webinar from the Rural Trust.


Taking Advantage: The Rural Competitive Preference in the Investing in Innovation Program

Taking Advantage: The Rural Competitive Preference in the Investing in Innovation ProgramThis Rural Trust report analyzes the impact of the rural competitive preference in the first round of i3 grants issued by the U.S. Department of Education. The analysis considers whether the rural claim was well-made by the applicants and well-evaluated by the readers. In short, the federal grant program did little to attract authentically rural innovations to address the challenges of high-needs rural schools.


Marty Strange Briefs U.S. Senate on i3, Title I

Rural Trust Policy Director Marty Strange briefed staff in the U.S. Senate on the rural impact of the Investing in Innovation grant program. Strange also presented information on inequities in Title I funding that harm very low-income students in smaller school districts.
Date: January 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters, What's New
Related Tags: Federal Policy, Investing in Innovation


RT Report: Few i3 "Rural" Grants Generating Rural Innovation

The federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program — intended to spark innovative approaches in schools — included a “competitive preference” for projects designed to focus on the unique challenges of high-need students in rural school districts. But a report released this month by the Rural Trust finds that with few exceptions i3 did little to generate innovation specific to rural schools. Instead, the rural preference primarily benefitted urban projects that included a small number of rural schools. The report examines how the rural preference component was applied in projects that won i3 funding and offers thoughts on alternative approaches that might generate rural-specific innovations for high-needs students in rural schools.
Date: January 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Policy, Investing in Innovation


Senators Raise Concerns About Rural Districts in i3

Thirteen U.S. Senators have sent a letter to Secretary Duncan expressing concerns and raising questions about the i3 federal grant process and its impact on rural schools.


Taking Advantage of the Rural Preference in the Investing in Innovation Grant Competition

The so-called “rural preference” in the federal i3 competition did little to attract authentically rural proposals.


Rural School Innovations Webinar: "Schools to Watch"

“Schools to Watch: School Transformation Network" was the theme of the first event in the Rural Trust's 2010-2011 Rural School Innovations Webinar Series. Audio and Presentation PDF Now Available!.


i3 Awards Don't Reach Many High-Needs Rural Districts

The federal Investing in Innovation (i3) competitive grant program has laudable objectives, but it is doing little to reach high-poverty rural schools.


Foundations Launch i3 Registry

Twelve foundations are launching the Foundation Registry i3, a new online application that aims to simplify the private funding application process for potential grantees and increase access and visibility for new, especially smaller, applicants.


Rural School Districts Eligible for Federal i3 Grant Application Assistance

Through a new $1.4 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Rural School and Community Trust will address provide customized technical assistance for rural school districts seeking i3 grants.
     For more information regarding technical assistance support through the Kellogg grant, please complete this short questionnaire (MSWord document) and return it via email.


Meet the April 1st i3 "Intent to Apply" Deadline!

April 1, 2010 is the deadline to send an email stating your intent to apply for an i3 grant...
Date: March 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Investing in Innovation, School Finance/Funding


Investing in Innovation (i3): A Rural School Technical Assistance Initiative Webinar

Investing in Innovation (i3): A Rural School Technical Assistance Initiative was the theme of this March 19, 2010 webinar from the Rural School and Community Trust.