69ý

Special Report
Federal

More Than 1,600 Seeking to Win ‘i3' Funding

By Michele McNeil — May 18, 2010 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

More than 1,600 districts, schools, and nonprofits applied for a piece of the $650 million by last week’s deadline, even as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan warned that the vast majority of them will end up losers in their quest for the economic-stimulus grants.

With just $650 million available for the innovation fund, and an estimated 205 awards at most, the “i3” competition will be tight. So Mr. Duncan had a message last week for the 1,669 who officially applied by the May 12 deadline.

“I need you not to scream about the process” and the scoring system, Mr. Duncan told about 600 in attendance at the May 12 Annual Summit, many of whom applied for i3. Instead, he said, “I need you to [lobby for] Investing in Innovation Two.” He continued, “We need losers to demand ... the next generation of funding.”

Unlike the Race to the Top Fund competition for states, which had two rounds, i3 is a one-shot deal—at least for now. All the money will be given out in one round by Sept. 30. However, Mr. Duncan is urging Congress to continue i3 as part of his fiscal 2011 budget. (“As Endgame Approaches, Anxieties Rise,” Feb. 10, 2010.)

For the entrepreneurs who gathered at the New69ý meeting—many of whom have been on the front lines of education innovation for years—the federal government is a new partner in this innovation push.

“Having the federal government at the table investing in innovation has been a missing piece for education reform for a long time,” Ted Mitchell, the chief executive officer of the New69ý Venture Fund, said in an interview. The San Francisco-based group provides startup money for charter-management groups and other education ventures. Mr. Mitchell pointed to precedent for such an effort, in the federal government’s prominent role in funding health research through the National Institutes of Health.

Now that there’s public money at stake, Mr. Mitchell said there will be more pressure for the entrepreneurial sector to deliver fast, positive results to more students.

“A source of public capital and public accountability for results is also a critical reminder to the entrepreneurial community of who we serve and why,” he said.

Some Risks Seen

Yet as the federal government and education entrepreneurs engage in this new partnership, some see risks.

“Don’t cede education reform to the federal government,” Walter Isaacson, the president and chief executive officer of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan Washington educational and policy studies think tank, warned at last week’s gathering. “We have to, in the [non-governmental organization] sector, drive reform.”

The i3 competition is designed to serve as a catalyst for education innovation by providing small, seed-money grants to promising new ideas and to provide more funding to ideas with a proven track record that could be scaled up. The goal of i3, which is open to districts, groups of schools, and nonprofits, is to fund projects that will help close the achievement gap and increase high school and college graduation rates. (“Final ‘i3' Rules Keep Private Match, Evidence Hurdles,” March 17, 2010.)

The grants are divided into three tiers—$5 million, $30 million, and $50 million—with the largest going to applicants that have the most research evidence to back up their proposals. To win an award, applicants must secure a 20 percent matching grant from the private sector or a waiver from the department.

The New69ý Venture Fund is applying for two validation grants, which are worth up to $30 million each. The first is in partnership with Achievement First (based in Connecticut and New York) and New York City-based Uncommon 69ý, both charter-management organizations, and Teacher U, a nonprofit based at Hunter College in New York City, which works to share effective practices with teachers.

The second grant proposal is in partnership with Philadelphia-based Mastery Charter 69ý, which took over three low-achieving middle schools in that city in recent years and posted impressive student achievement gains, which have been highlighted by Mr. Duncan as he pushes an aggressive school turnaround agenda. With this proposal, New69ý wants to work on growing a new generation of school leaders, based on Mastery’s model.

Eligibility Requirements

Although May 12 was the deadline for i3 applications, the number of actual applicants may fluctuate.

First, because of massive flooding last month in Tennessee, the department extended the deadline by one week, to May 19, for districts affected by that severe weather.

Second, submitting an application doesn’t necessarily mean that an entity has been deemed eligible to apply. To be eligible, applicants have to meet minimum thresholds for evidence that are spelled out in the federal regulations for the competition. For example, the largest scale-up grants require strong evidence of a program’s past success, such as an evaluation that used random assignment of students to gauge impact. The department may cut some applicants before the competition really starts.

A version of this article appeared in the May 19, 2010 edition of Education Week as More Than 1,600 Seeking to Win ‘i3' Funding

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
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
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

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

Read Next

Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP