Innovative education ideas

In a report released by Bellwether Education Partners, a Washington consulting firm, they asked a crucial question: Was the Obama administration’s i3 grant program successful in finding truly innovative ideas that will improve K-12 education?

“I think the department accomplished some really important things. It motivated a lot of action in the field. US DOE is really juicing up the innovation ecosystem, and it’s going to take a little while to start to make progress,” said Kim Smith, CEO of Bellwether.

Check out Beaverton School District’s approved i3 grant A4L .

The report notes that more involvement from the for-profit sector could have led to more innovative proposals, especially in the area of technology. In this case, however, the department’s hands were largely tied. The legislation Congress passed creating i3 made districts, groups of schools, and nonprofit partners the only eligible grant recipients. That left no opening for applicants from the for-profit sector, which is far more likely to embrace risk than the government.