Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants

Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Pre-Application Webinar May 2023 School Choice and Improvement Programs Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

AGENDA Program Overview Program Priorities Selection Criteria Requirements 2

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

PROGRAM OVERVIEW KEY DATES Date Activity May 8 Applications Available May 9 Overview Pre-Application Webinar #1 May 18 Overview Pre-Application Webinar #2 May 23 AP1 Planning Pre-Application Webinar May 25 AP2 Implementation Pre-Application Webinar Application Closing Date 11:59:59 PM - Eastern Time July 7 4

PROGRAM OVERVIEW Purpose To provide students with access to a well-rounded education and to improve school conditions for student learning by developing or implementing comprehensive plans for increasing school socioeconomic diversity in preschool through grade 12. Total Funding Available: $10,000,000 Eligibility LEAs, consortia of LEAs, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a SEA 5

PROGRAM OVERVIEW COMPETITION INFORMATION Absolute Priority 2 Implementing a School Diversity Plan Absolute Priority 1 Developing or Enhancing a School Diversity Plan Up to 60-month grants Up to 24-month grants ~$1,000,000 - $4,000,000 per year (max $4,000,000) ~$250,000 - $500,000 per year (max $500,000) ~1-3 awards ~4-8 awards 6

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

ABSOLUTE PRIORITIES OVERVIEW Absolute Priority 1 Developing or Enhancing a School Diversity Plan Absolute Priority 2 Implementing a School Diversity Plan - Develop or enhance a comprehensive plan to increase socioeconomic diversity across the LEA(s) Promote academic achievement by: - Providing access to a well-rounded education, or - Fostering safe and healthy schools Make plan publicly available, including by posting on the applicant s website - Implement existing high-quality comprehensive plan to increase socioeconomic diversity across LEA(s) Promote academic achievement by: - Providing access to a well-rounded education, or - Fostering safe and healthy schools - - - 8

DEFINITION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO INCREASE SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY Increase Socioeconomic Diversity Within schools, classrooms, & educational programs or across and within school districts To promote academic achievement Support academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students Increase access to safe, healthy, and/or well- rounded educational opportunities To promote academic achievement Foster Inclusive Learning Environments 9

DEFINITION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO INCREASE SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY Plan must also include: 1) Results of the comprehensive assessment of area to be served 2) Goals, metrics to determine progress and success, timelines, and cost estimates. 3) Educator PD on creating safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments 4) Capacity building to collect and analyze data To support meeting diversity goals for students and educators 5) An approach to sustained stakeholder engagement 6) Strategies to improve academic outcomes for all students at each of the following levels: (1) LEA, (2) school, and (3) classroom 7) Specific methods for disseminating lessons learned during implementation 10

ABSOLUTE PRIORITY 1 DEVELOP OR ENHANCE A PLAN Application must include: How plan will be developed or enhanced Include a description of students, families, and school communities served, with disaggregated demographic data How results will be documented and disseminated to increase capacity of other LEAs to implement similar programs Timeline and approach for an assessment of geographic area to be served Timeline and approach for stakeholder engagement Action steps and timeline to produce the plan 11

ABSOLUTE PRIORITY 2 IMPLEMENT A PLAN Application must: Provide evidence the plan is based on a comprehensive assessment of the geographic area to be served Demonstrate that the plan is based on rigorous family, student, community, and educator engagement Document commitment to ambitious, achievable goals for increasing socioeconomic diversity Transparent, published data analysis of progress relative to those goals 12

COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITIES OVERVIEW CPP 2: Strengthening Cross- Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change - Up to 5 points - Systemic, evidence-based approach - Coordinating efforts with local government, community orgs, social services, higher ed, or early learning providers - Promote socioeconomic diversity in schools - Identify agencies contributions in abstract CPP 1: Fostering Socioeconomic Diversity in One or More High-Need LEAs CPP 3: Fostering Socioeconomic Diversity Through Regional Approaches - 0 or 10 points - Propose a project that will foster socioeconomic diversity in one or more high-need LEAs (as defined) - Must identify relevant qualifying data in its project abstract - 0 or 5 points - Applicant must be a consortium of two or more LEAs - Signed MOU, detailing the role of each member - Agreement describes the LEAs/schools in the region 13

SELECTION CRITERIA

SELECTION CRITERIA ABSOLUTE PRIORITIES 1 & 2 Points Possible Criterion (# of Factors) Total of 100 possible points Recommend that applicants structure application based on the criteria Entire application reviewed by a panel of expert peer reviewers Scores used to create funding rank order Separate funding slate for each Absolute Priority Need for the Project (2) 10 Quality of the Project Design (5) 25 Quality of the Project Services (3) 15 Quality of the Project Personnel (2) 10 Adequacy of Resources (2) 10 Quality of the Management Plan (3) 20 Quality of the Evaluation Plan (2) 10 15

NEED FOR THE PROJECT UP TO 10 POINTS 1) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the proposed project. (up to 5 pts) 2) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses. (up to 5 pts) 16

QUALITY OF THE PROJECT DESIGN UP TO 25 POINTS 1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (up to 5 pts) 2) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs. (up to 5 pts) 3) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance. (up to 5 pts) 4) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (up to 5 pts) 5) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it has the resources to operate the project beyond the length of the grant, including a multi-year financial and operating model and accompanying plan; the demonstrated commitment of any partners; evidence of broad support from stakeholders (such as State educational agencies and teachers unions) critical to the project s long-term success; or more than one of these types of evidence. (up to 5 pts) 17

QUALITY OF THE PROJECT SERVICES UP TO 15 POINTS 1) The quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. (up to 5 pts) 2) The likely impact of the services to be provided by the proposed project on the intended recipients of those services. (up to 5 pts) 3) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project are focused on those with the greatest needs. (up to 5 pts) 18

QUALITY OF PROJECT PERSONNEL UP TO 10 POINTS 1) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have historically been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. (up to 5 pts) 2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel. (up to 5 pts) 19

ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES UP TO 10 POINTS 1) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project. (up to 5 pts) 2) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project. (up to 5 pts) 20

QUALITY OF THE MANAGEMENT PLAN UP TO 20 POINTS 1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (up to 5 pts) 2) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project. (up to 5 pts) 3) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate. (up to 10 pts) 21

QUALITY OF THE PROJECT EVALUATION UP TO 10 POINTS 1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide valid and reliable performance data on relevant outcomes. (up to 5 pts) 2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible. (up to 5 pts) Note: The project evaluation selection criterion relates to performance measure (b) under the Performance Measures section of this notice. 22

REQUIREMENTS

REQUIREMENTS BUDGET REQUIREMENTS Supplement, Not Supplant Restricted Indirect Cost Rate Equitable Services LEAs must provide equitable services to private school children and educators that support the purpose of the program, fostering diversity to provide a well-rounded education 24

REQUIREMENTS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Signed letters of support from at least 5 community orgs representing diverse populations Description of how project will improve student outcomes by Increasing access to well-rounded educational opportunities; and/or Supporting safe, healthy, and supportive school environments 25

REQUIREMENTS PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Disseminate lessons learned in at least 3 instances AP1: Planning Produce a comprehensive plan to increase socioeconomic diversity Posted on each LEA s website Demonstrate that feedback from family, student, community, and educator is considered in final plan AP2: Implementation Conduct and publish on its public website an annual report on progress of goals and metrics; using the report to refine or improve activities CPP3: Regional Approach Provide final, signed MOU within 60 days of receiving the grant 26

RESOURCES

RESOURCES Notice Inviting Applications www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-09667 Application Creation and Submission www.Grants.gov Search Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Common Instructions for Applicants https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common- instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs Program Website https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school- choice-improvement-programs/fostering-diverse-schools-program-fdsp/applicant- info-and-eligibility/ Program Email FDS@ed.gov 28