School Improvement Grants

New School improvement grants will be issued to help low performing schools nationwide. In order to identify which schools and LEA’s most need these funds, the Secretary of Education will require each State Education Agency (SEA) to identify three tiers of Title I schools. The Secretary recommends that each state develop additional criteria to distinguish between the third tier schools.  The Secretary proposes to require LEAs to use any of these funds in one of three ways: a Turnaround model (which includes replacing the principal and 50% of the staff), a Restart model (where the school will reopen under the management of a charter school or educational management operation), or a Transformation model which would address four specific areas critical to transforming the lowest achieving schools.  An LEA with nine or more Tier I or Tier II schools may not implement the same intervention in more than 50% of their schools. For fund distribution, state’s should give priority to LEA’s with lowest achieving Title I schools that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds, and the strongest commitment to carrying out the purposes of the program. These federal funds will be available to LEAs for three years, or until September 30, 2011. LEAs will need to keep goals in reading, math, and language arts over this three year period and be on track to meet their goals each year.  The maximum amount of funds that may be generated by a participating Title I school per year is $500,000 and the minimum grant amount is $50,000 per year for qualifying schools.

74 Fed. Reg. 43,101 (Aug. 26, 2009)