DOE Awards $116M for School Tech Assistance, Equity Programs - Government Technology

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded much than $116 cardinal successful grants to money tech enactment successful 19 schools.

According to a news release this month, the section doled retired $110 cardinal successful awards from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), arsenic good arsenic 4 caller assistance awards for the department’s 2022 Equity Assistance Center (EAC) program, totaling much than $6.5 million. The section said the EAC backing volition make 4 determination “equity assistance centers” crossed the U.S. — 1 each successful New England, the Midwest, the South and the West — that volition supply method assistance to nationalist schools and different agencies "focused connected addressing equity successful their assemblage for students and the educators who enactment them related to race, sex, nationalist origin, sex identity, disablement and religion.”

According to an email from DOE spokesperson Elaine Quesinberry, the EAC program, authorized nether Title IV of the Civil Rights Act, is among the department’s longest-standing investments successful method assistance, and the past circular of backing was awarded successful 2016. She said EACs are liable for helping to place acquisition programs for gathering the needs of English-language learners, sharing accusation connected champion practices and ineligible requirements for nondiscrimination, and grooming educators to forestall harassment and place bias successful instructional materials.

According to the announcement, the MSAP backing looks to amended magnet schools with innovative instructional approaches that impact and situation students from antithetic backgrounds. Quesinberry said the programme has existed since the 1980s, and this circular of MSAP backing tin beryllium utilized flexibly for instructional materials, paying and grooming educators to conscionable circumstantial needs, readying and promotion of a district's magnet schools, and proscription to magnet schools truthful much students tin be them.

“There are caveats and limitations, but again, determination is flexibility to let districts to instrumentality magnet schools arsenic a desegregation strategy that tin enactment for them,” she said successful an email.

According to the department, some caller rounds of backing travel soon aft U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona laid retired plans to situation states and districts to code immoderate systems perpetuating inequities successful schools, specifically by expanding national accent connected programs supporting underserved pupil groups. A afloat database of schools receiving funding, arsenic good arsenic further accusation connected the programs, is disposable connected the department's website.

“Today, we’re investing successful schools and communities that person shown a committedness to intentionally serving students and closing accidental gaps based connected race, spot and condition successful America,” Cardona said successful a caller announcement astir the funding. “Every kid has thing to connection this country, and they merit entree to effectual educators, inclusive and supportive learning environments, and innovative, engaging programs that unlock their imaginable and pb to success. These assistance awards volition assistance communities reimagine our schools done a much equitable lens and rise the barroom for however we service students who excessively often get near behind.”