Investing in Innovation
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.
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May 28, 2016
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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).
Date:
March 25, 2014
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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.
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October 28, 2013
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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.
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.
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.
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February 28, 2013
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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.
Date:
January 17, 2013
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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.
Among the 124 highly rated pre-applicants for i3 Development grants, ten selected Rural Education as an Absolute Priority.
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.
Date:
June 17, 2012
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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.
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May 29, 2012
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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.
April 9 is the deadline for
i3 Preapplications for the U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Investing in Innovation grant competition.
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.
Peer reviewers are needed for the 2012 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Date:
August 30, 2011
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The fourth webinar in a series on rural school innovations is scheduled for September 21st. Sign up now.
Date:
August 25, 2011
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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.
Reviewers with experience in and knowledge about rural education are needed to help rate applications for the federal Inves
ting in Innovation (i3) competitive grant program. Peer reviewer applications will be accepted through July 8.
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.
Register now for the next webinar in the Rural School Innovations series.
Date:
April 27, 2011
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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.
Date:
April 26, 2011
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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.
Date:
March 29, 2011
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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.
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March 15, 2011
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This 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.
Date:
January 25, 2011
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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.
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.
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.
The so-called “rural preference” in the federal i3 competition did little to attract authentically rural proposals.
“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!.
The federal Investing in Innovation (i3) competitive grant program has laudable objectives, but it is doing little to reach high-poverty rural schools.
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.
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.
Date:
April 12, 2010
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April 1, 2010 is the deadline to send an email stating your intent to apply for an i3 grant...
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.