Experimental Sites Initiative

The Department of Education has invited postsecondary education institutions to participate in experiments under the Experimental Sites Initiative.

The Department is interested in gathering data under circumstances that will allow for a reliable evaluation of the experiments. Participating institutions will be expected to gather and report data needed by the Department for this purpose. To support recommendations for change, evidence must be provided that was obtained from both a treatment group of students who participated in the experiment and a control or comparison group of students who received their student aid under existing rules. As for any evaluation design, it is important that the control or comparison group be as similar as possible to the treatment group.

Experiment 1--Federal Pell Grant Program--Eligibility of students with bachelor's degrees who enroll in vocational or career programs.

Experiment 2--Federal Pell Grant Program--Eligibility of students enrolled in certain short-term training programs.

Experiment 3--Direct Loan Program--Single disbursement of a one-term loan for study abroad students.

Experiment 4--Direct Loan Program--Early disbursement for study abroad students and for students enrolled in foreign institutions.

Experiment 5--Direct Loan Program--Unequal disbursements.

Experiment 6--Direct Loan Program--Limiting unsubsidized loan amounts.

Experiment 7--PLUS Loans for parents of students with intellectual disabilities.

Experiment 8--Student Eligibility--Eligibility of students with intellectual disabilities who are also enrolled in high school.

The Department intends to support experiments where the Department can draw causal inferences about the effects of the alternative approach based on a rigorous evaluation design. Examples of the kinds of evaluation and research designs that allow conclusions to be drawn about the effects of an intervention (program, policy, or practice) can be found at ED's What Works Clearinghousehttp://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/.

Click here for full background and a description of the application and evaluation process.

Excerpts for Experiment 1

Eligibility would be restricted to students with a bachelor's degree who have demonstrated to the participating institution that they are unemployed or underemployed and who will be entering the vocational program for the first time.

The experiment will require that the program be one that provides training needed to meet local or regional workforce needs, as determined by the institution in consultation with employers or state or local workforce agencies.

The objective of the experiment is to determine if providing Pell Grants to low-income students who have earned a bachelor's degree but who are unemployed or underemployed improves the students' employment status. The experiment should also minimize the use of student loan funds to finance vocational/career education for such students.

Excerpts for Experiment 2

Representatives from some state institutions that offer short-term vocational programs have suggested that if the training is directly related to state or local workforce needs, allowing shorter term vocational training programs to be Pell Grant eligible would enable unemployed and underemployed persons to obtain the short-term training required for employment by local or regional employers. While some institutions have developed innovative programs to embed a short-term program within a longer eligible degree or certificate program, such programs may not meet the needs of all potential students.

This is especially true for students from low income backgrounds or those who have work or family responsibilities that prevent them from enrolling in longer term programs. In addition, it is hoped that, under this experiment, institutions that currently offer longer term programs may develop ways that shorten the student's time to completion--such as asynchronous learning, competency based instruction, or other innovative approaches. Such changes to the structure of training programs may allow the program to be shorter than 15 weeks and still maintain Pell Grant eligibility.

The experiment will require that the short-term vocational program at the community college or postsecondary vocational institution must provide training needed to meet local or regional workforce needs, as determined by the institution in consultation with employers or state or local workforce agencies.

The objective of this experiment is to determine if providing Pell Grant funding to support unemployed or underemployed persons enrolled in short-term vocational training programs offered by community colleges and postsecondary vocational institutions increases employment rates or wages of those persons.

Donors Choose Opens

[from The Erie Community Foundation website] Oct 21, 2011

If you are interested in helping teachers who want to improve reading and math in their classrooms, then Donors Choose might be of great interest to you.

The Erie Community Foundation just partnered with DonorsChoose.org for a “Double Your Impact” program in order to help teachers raise money for exciting classroom projects. Over the past few weeks, teachers have been preparing and posting their projects online.

Beginning TODAY, you can see the school projects on the website www.DonorsChoose.org and make a donation. Just click here.

Through the “Double Your Impact” program, your donation will be matched. The Erie Community Foundation will fund 50% of a project with a total cost of $1000 or less. In fact, anyone across the country can make a donation to Erie County school projects.

The Foundation partnered with Donors Choose because funding has been cut dramatically, and some of our children are not proficient in math and reading, which are two subjects essential to success. By supporting school projects, we can move the needle of one of the key indicators of our community which can be seen at www.ErieVitalSigns.org.

"Our desired impact is to invest in our children by funding projects that create better readers and produce skilled math students who can lead Erie forward," said Anne Sekula, vice president of Programs. "Together, we can make a difference."

Please log on to www.DonorsChoose.org make your donation today! Our children really are our future.

Big Read grants

[from Philanthropy News Digest] The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment, is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to develop community-wide reading programs between September 2012 and June 2013.

Organizations selected to participate in the Big Read receive a grant, access to online training resources and opportunities, and educational and promotional materials designed to support widespread community involvement and participation. Approximately seventy-five organizations from throughout the United States will be selected.

Applicant organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; a division of state, local, or tribal government; or a tax-exempt public library. Eligible applicants include such organizations as literary centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, art centers, historical societies, arts councils, tribal governments, humanities councils, literary festivals, and arts organizations.

Community organizations participating in the Big Read are expected to develop and produce a well-planned, well-attended, community-wide read with innovative, diverse programming, and widespread community involvement and participation. Activities should last approximately one month and focus on one book or poet from the Big Read Library.

Organizations may apply for grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 each, depending on community size and number of activities planned. Grants must be matched at least 1 to 1 with nonfederal funds. Grant funds may be used for such expenses as book purchases, speaker fees and travel, salaries, advertising, and venue rental.

Visit the Big Read Web site for complete program guidelines, project development resources, and application materials.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Blended Learning Funded

[from Philanthropy News Digest] The NewSchools Venture Fund has announced that it helped close a $2.1 million seed round of funding for blended learning start-up Education Elements to expand its online learning and educational technology services.


The funds will enable Education Elements, which also received investments from Tugboat Ventures, venture capitalist Wally Hawley, and education investors Imagine K12, to continue building out its team, software, and services. The company's products are designed to make it easy and cost-effective for schools to implement "blended learning," an approach involving online resources and traditional classroom instruction, as a way to personalize learning and enable teachers to focus on small-group instruction.

In addition to helping schools design customized blended learning solutions and embed online content and data into daily instruction, Education Elements has developed a streamlined technology platform that eases the introduction of online learning into a school's curriculum and operations. Clients include KIPP LA Schools, Mission Dolores Academy, IDEA Public Schools, and Alliance College-Ready Public Schools.

“Blended Learning Startup Education Elements Raises $2.1 Million to Expand Upon Early Success.” NewSchools Venture Fund Press Release 10/05/11.

Youth Technology Grants

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The ESA Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle of the Entertainment Software Association, is dedicated to supporting programs that make a difference in the lives of America's youth.
The foundation is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations that provide programs and services utilizing technology and/or computer and video games to educate America's youth and young adults (ages 7 to 18).
Applicants must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or governmental units exempt under Section 115 and described in Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Funding must be sought for a specific project or program that is or will be implemented or available nationwide or in a minimum of two states in the United States.
In general, the ESA Foundation does not accept applications for endowments, operating support, benefit and event fundraisers, annual fund appeals, youth sports teams, religious organizations for religious purposes, political organizations or campaigns, labor groups, indirect costs, research, or from fiscal agents. Grants are not made to individuals or for projects outside the United States of America.

The grant application deadline is May 15, 2011 for projects to be implemented in 2012. First-time awardees will be considered for grants of up to $50,000 each.  Visit the ESA Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures.

Link to Complete RFP

Lowe's awards education grants

[from Philanthropy News Digest] In conjunction with the start of the 2011-12 school year, Lowe's has announced grants totaling more than $4 million to support education programs across the country.


Through the Lowe's Toolbox for Education initiative, Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation awarded grants totaling $1.35 million to eighteen schools for school improvement projects, including rebuilding, repair and renovation efforts, and the installation of SMART Board technology. And as part of a larger $1 million commitment to help rebuild schools damaged by natural disasters, the foundation awarded $250,000 to schools affected by severe weather and natural disasters this spring.

Grant recipients include Teach for America, which will receive $750,000 in support of its programs; the United Negro College Fund ($500,000); the Hispanic Scholarship Fund ($250,000); and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund ($100,000). In addition, the foundation awarded $500,000 over five years to Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment for Transformation) to help support Charlotte's public school system; 140 scholarships totaling $350,000 to high school seniors planning to attend an accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States; and fifty Carl Buchan scholarships totaling $250,000 to full- and part-time Lowe's employees, their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents.

“Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation Kicks off 2011 School Year With More Than $4 Million in Educational Grants.”Lowe's Press Release 9/26/11.