Additional education funding to be made available
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Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, grant awards will be used for new and innovative programs, to grow existing smaller programs that have been successful and to take proven programs on to a national level. Existing programs enjoying success could qualify for as much as $50 million in grant funds.
The largest category of grants are "Scale-up Grants" for programs that can reach hundreds of thousands of students and which have had significant success on improving student outcomes. The "Validation Grants" are for existing programs that have had success and seek to expand in their own community or in other communities. "Development Grants" are those for new ideas and practices deemed having great potential for success.
"We're looking to drive reform, reward excellence and dramatically improve our nation's schools," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in announcing the grants.
Grant recipients will be required to match federal funds with public or private funding. They also will be required to show how their programs will be continued after the federal grant funds run out.
Another round of ARRA funding will likely be available by the end of this year. The Race to the Top grant competition will have $4 billion to allocate to states that are at the head of the class in education reform.
"States apply for that money and we do plan to apply," said Ratcliff. The application will be made once the final guidelines for application and distribution of the funds are announced by the Department of Education. The Race to the Top funds are used to encourage and reward states that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform.
