By 7063179645
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July 3, 2023
The US Department of Education recently announced its request for proposals for the Full Service Community Schools Program Grant. (Full-Service Community Schools Program (FSCS) - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education) As many of you know, a Community School is one that leverages the strengths of the community, families, school, and staff to support and uplift all students, particularly those coming from low resourced environments, to assure academic success in the pre-K through post-secondary space. The Full-Service Community Schools were initially defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. A program funding FSCS through the US Department of Education has been in existence since 2008. This year there are lots of exciting changes! The sheer amount of funding budgeted for FSCS has increased to the highest levels yet. The US Department of Education anticipates to award 75 new projects across three levels: Capacity Building, Multi-Local Education Agency, & State Scaling. All Full-Service Community Schools are going to need to include a logic model in their proposal. Though not explicit in this call, particularly for the State Scaling grant, it appears that a competitive proposal will need to include a theory of implementation and a theory of change that includes evaluation of such processes and protocols. For “additional competition points” which appear to be critical for a competitive proposal, protocols need to explicitly address: Social, emotional, and academic needs, & Improving coordination across multiple agencies. All submitters need to partner with an external evaluator. There is an invitation priority that focuses on improving transitions between preschool and kindergarten and from kindergarten into first grade. Funded grantees will be required to participate in a national evaluation that will study the implementation of the FY 2023 FSCS proposals that are awarded. Like in prior years, this FSCS project is expected to build upon the four pillars of community schools: integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning time, active family and community engagement, & collaborative leadership and practices. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be talking further about the ingredients needed to write a competitive FSCS grant. Until then, Illumin is offering two free hours of consulting for organizations writing a FSCS proposal. We can address important issues like the following. How can you leverage your organizations’ strengths to create a high quality, useful Logic Model What characteristics are a part of a high-quality evaluation plan that will meet the requirements of the FSCS program How will your project have to adapt to the 2023 requirement of participating in a national evaluation plan for FSCS grantees? Why is it critical that your external evaluator not only have high skills in complex evaluation, but also be comprised of content matter experts in areas like social and emotional learning, and analysts with lived experiences that align with your service area? Interesting in learning more? Please contact Yonas Ermias ( yermias@assessment-evaluation.com ) to schedule an appointment with our analysts to help guide you through to your best submission! More information on Community Schools can be found here: Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence (learningpolicyinstitute.org) The White House tool kit for full service community schools can be found here: 2023-01-13-WHITE-HOUSE-TOOLKIT_Federal-Resources-to-Support-Community-Schools.pdf (whitehouse.gov)