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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced the Department’s priorities for grants under the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). The fund, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will support local efforts to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for students. “We’re looking to drive reform, reward excellence and dramatically improve our nation’s schools,” Duncan said. Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply for the i3 grants, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts to submit applications. Colleges and universities, companies and other stakeholders can be supporters of the projects. Applicants must demonstrate their previous success in closing achievement gaps, improving student progress toward proficiency, increasing graduation rates, or recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and principals. Under the proposed priorities, grants would be awarded in three categories:      • Scale-up Grants: The category is focused on programs and practices with the potential to reach        hundreds of thousands of students. Applicants must have a strong base of evidence that their        program has had a significant effect on improving student achievement.      • Validation Grants: Existing programs that have good evidence of their impact and are ready to improve         their evidence base while expanding in their own and other communities.      • Development Grants: Designed to support new and high-potential practices whose impact should          be studied further. Grants will be awarded to programs that expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative and evidence-based practices, programs and strategies that significantly:      • Improve K-12 achievement and close achievement gaps;      • Decrease dropout rates;      • Increase high school graduation rates; and      • Improve teacher and school leader effectiveness. The Department of Education expects to open the application process in early 2010, with all applications due in early spring of 2010. The Department will obligate all i3 funding by September 30, 2010. For more information, please visit the .