SSEC.4611.
GRANTS FOR ECUCATION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH
Section Summary
ESSA
SEC. 4611. <<NOTE: 20 USC 7261.>> GRANTS FOR EDUCATION
INNOVATION AND RESEARCH.
``(a) Program Authorized.--
``(1) In general.--From funds reserved under section
4601(b)(2)(A), the Secretary shall make grants to eligible
entities to enable the eligible entities to--
``(A) create, develop, implement, replicate, or take
to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-
initiated innovations to improve student achievement and
attainment for high-need students; and
``(B) rigorously evaluate such innovations, in
accordance with subsection (e).
``(2) Description of grants.--The grants described in
paragraph (1) shall include--
``(A) early-phase grants to fund the development,
implementation, and feasibility testing of a program,
which prior research suggests has promise, for the
purpose of determining whether the program can
successfully improve student achievement or attainment
for high-need students;
``(B) mid-phase grants to fund implementation and a
rigorous evaluation of a program that has been
successfully implemented under an early-phase grant
described in subparagraph (A) or other effort meeting
similar criteria, for the purpose of measuring the
program's impact and cost effectiveness, if possible
using existing administrative data; and
``(C) expansion grants to fund implementation and a
rigorous replication evaluation of a program that has
been found to produce sizable, important impacts under a
mid-phase grant described in subparagraph (B) or other
effort meeting similar criteria, for the purposes of--
``(i) determining whether such impacts can be
successfully reproduced and sustained over time;
and
``(ii) identifying the conditions in which the
program is most effective.
``(b) Eligible Entity.--In this subpart, the term `eligible entity'
means any of the following:
``(1) A local educational agency.
``(2) A State educational agency.
``(3) The Bureau of Indian Education.
``(4) A consortium of State educational agencies or local
educational agencies.
``(5) A nonprofit organization.
``(6) A State educational agency, a local educational
agency, a consortium described in paragraph (4), or the Bureau
of Indian Education, in partnership with--
``(A) a nonprofit organization;
``(B) a business;
``(C) an educational service agency; or
``(D) an institution of higher education.
``(c) Rural Areas.--
``(1) In general.--In awarding grants under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 25 percent of the
funds made available for any fiscal year are awarded for
programs that meet both of the following requirements:
``(A) The grantee is--
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``(i) a local educational agency with an
urban-centric district locale code of 32, 33, 41,
42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary;
``(ii) a consortium of such local educational
agencies;
``(iii) an educational service agency or a
nonprofit organization in partnership with such a
local educational agency; or
``(iv) a grantee described in clause (i) or
(ii) in partnership with a State educational
agency.
``(B) A majority of the schools to be served by the
program are designated with a locale code of 32, 33, 41,
42, or 43, or a combination of such codes, as determined
by the Secretary.
``(2) Exception.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall reduce the amount of funds made available under
such paragraph if the Secretary does not receive a sufficient
number of applications of sufficient quality.
``(d) Matching Funds.--In order to receive a grant under subsection
(a), an eligible entity shall demonstrate that the eligible entity will
provide matching funds, in cash or through in-kind contributions, from
Federal, State, local, or private sources in an amount equal to 10
percent of the funds provided under such grant, except that the
Secretary may waive the matching funds requirement, on a case-by-case
basis, upon a showing of exceptional circumstances, such as--
``(1) the difficulty of raising matching funds for a program
to serve a rural area;
``(2) the difficulty of raising matching funds in areas with
a concentration of local educational agencies or schools with a
high percentage of students aged 5 through 17--
``(A) who are in poverty, as counted in the most
recent census data approved by the Secretary;
``(B) who are eligible for a free or reduced price
lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.);
``(C) whose families receive assistance under the
State program funded under part A of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); or
``(D) who are eligible to receive medical assistance
under the Medicaid program; and
``(3) the difficulty of raising funds on tribal land.
``(e) Evaluation.--Each recipient of a grant under this section
shall conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the
program carried out under such grant.
``(f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may reserve not more than
5 percent of the funds appropriated under section 4601(b)(2)(A) for each
fiscal year to--
``(1) provide technical assistance for eligibility entities,
which may include pre-application workshops, web-based seminars,
and evaluation support; and
``(2) to disseminate best practices.
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``Subpart 2--Community Support for School Success
NCLB Text
Previously not included in NCLB.
