The New Orleans i3 Project

New Orleans Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant Application: 2013 School Openings - Spring Round  

The fourth round of application and selection for i3 school grants – those for 2013 School Openings – has launched! Each eligible applicant must download, complete and submit both the Application (PDF) and the Appendix/Table of Contents. Sixteen charter schools – eleven open enrollment and five academic/neighborhood/language admission or exit/graduation criteria schools – have been determined eligible for this round of selection based on their Effect Size as of September 2011. (Click here to download a PDF of those eligible to apply). Applications from new operators, not currently operating a charter school in Orleans Parish, will also be considered. Submission instructions and timelines are included in the Application and available for download (PDF).

Questions related to the New Schools for New Orleans – Investing in Innovation postings found here should be directed to Indrina Kanth, NSNO Director of I3 Implementation, at Indrina@nsno.org.

The Recovery School District (RSD) and New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) have been awarded $33.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education to turn around persistently low-performing schools through the development of new public charter schools. Over 5 years, the RSD and NSNO will execute application processes that fund high-quality charter operators to develop new schools tied to the turnaround of failing schools. All i3 awards made to high-performing charter operators are made up of 83.33% federal funding and 16.7% private funding. To date, a total of 9 awards have been made tied to the transition of 10 schools in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 school years.  

Spring Round Critical Dates:
**These dates are subject to change. Changes will be noted here in red as the i3 Selection Process continues.
March 15: Application Live
March 27: Information Session – Provided for eligible applicants. 6-8 p.m. CDT, 200 Broadway, Suite 108. Click here to download the presentation (PDF) and notes (PDF) from the session.
March 29: Applicant Q&A Conference Call #1 - 12-1 p.m. CDT. Dial-in 888-354-0094. Passcode: 6976040
April 6: Letter of Intent to Apply - Due by 5 p.m. CDT. Please send via email to i3app@nsno.org
April 11: Q&A Conference Call #2 - 4-5 p.m. CDT. Dial-in 888-354-0094. Passcode: 6976040

                 - Please click here to download a PDF of all Q&A Questions and Answers.
April 18: APPLICATION DUE - Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. CDT in the requested formats. Please submit via email to i3app@nsno.org.
May 4: Notification - Applicants selected to move on to Site Visits and Interviews notified.
May 8-10: School Visits - Specific visit dates and times will be assigned and communicated on 5/4/12.
May 15-17: Interviews – Specific interview dates will be communicated on 5/8/12. School leaders, operator board chair and operator executive leadership MUST attend.
May 23-24: MOU Meetings - Applicants successfully completing interview round will be invited to discuss awardee requirements. Meetings are not an indication of award. Current school/CMO leader and board chair MUST attend.
May 29: Selection Finalized - Applicants will be contacted directly by NSNO and RSD.

 

The Tennessee i3 Project

In Tennessee, the 2010 Investing in Innovation (i3) award granted to NSNO, the RSD and the Achievement School District, will provide $6.8 million dollars in available funding to high quality charter operators.  This funding is specifically dedicated to the turnaround of existing academically unacceptable schools in Memphis and Nashville.  

Click here to go to the Tennessee Department of Education "First to the Top" website.