Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program—Early-Phase Grants

Overview

<p>Purpose of Program: The EIR program, established under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA), provides funding to create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and rigorously evaluate such innovations. The EIR program is designed to generate and validate solutions to persistent education challenges and to support the expansion of those solutions to serve substantially larger numbers of students.</p> <p>The Department expects that Early-phase grants provide funding to support the development, implementation, and feasibility testing of a program, which prior research suggests has promise, for the purpose of determining whether the program can successfully improve student achievement and attainment for high need students. Early-phase grants must demonstrate a rationale. These Early-phase grants are not intended simply to implement established practices in additional locations or address needs that are unique to one particular context. The goal is to determine whether and in what ways relatively newer  practices can improve student achievement and attainment for high need students.</p> <p>The FY 2020 Early-phase competition includes three absolute priorities and two competitive preference priorities. All Early-phase applicants must address Absolute Priority 1. Early-phase applicants are also required to address one of the other two absolute priorities. Applicants addressing Absolute Priority 2 also have the option to address Competitive Preference Priority 1. Applicants addressing Absolute Priority 3 have the option to address Competitive Preference Priority 2. The absolute priorities and the competitive preference priorities align with the purpose of the program and the Administration’s priorities.</p> <p><strong>Absolute Priority 1—Applications that Demonstrate a Rationale</strong>. Under this priority, an applicant proposes a project that demonstrates a rationale (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1).</p> <p><strong>Absolute Priority 2—Field-Initiated Innovations—Promoting STEM Education, With a Particular Focus on Computer Science</strong>. Under the priority, we provide funding to projects that are designed to—</p> <p>(1) Create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based (as defined in this notice), field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for highneed<br>students; and</p> <p>(2) Improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in one or more of the following areas: Science, technology, engineering, math, or computer science.</p> <p><strong>Absolute Priority 3—Teacher Directed Professional Learning</strong>. Under this priority, an applicant must propose a project in which classroom teachers receive stipends to select professional learning alternatives that are instructionally relevant and meet their individual needs related to instructional practices for high-need students. Additionally, teachers receiving stipends must be allowed the flexibility to replace a significant portion (no less than 20 percent) of existing mandatory professional development with such teacher-directed learning, which must also be allowed to fully count toward any mandatory teacher professional development goals (e.g., professional development hours required as part of certification renewal, designated professional days mandated by districts).</p> <p><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 1—Computer Science (up to 5 Points)</strong>. Projects designed to improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in computer science (as defined in this notice). These projects must address the following priority area: Expanding access to and participation in rigorous computer science coursework for traditionally underrepresented students such as racial or ethnic  minorities, women, students in communities served by rural local educational agencies (as defined in this notice), children or students with disabilities (as defined in this notice), or low-income individuals (as defined under section 312(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended).</p> <p><strong>Competitive Preference Priority 2—State Educational Agency Partnership (up to 5 points)</strong>. Under this priority, an applicant must demonstrate it has established a partnership between an eligible entity and an SEA (with either member of the partnership serving as the applicant) to support the proposed project. </p>