The U.S. Department of Educations
(ED) Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) has developed a
web-based platform, the Open Innovation Web Portal (Portal), to
support communication and collaboration among a wide range of key
education stakeholders, including practitioners, funders, and the
general public. This platform, which is currently operating under
emergency clearance, allows geographically dispersed but
like-minded entities to discover each other and work together to
address some of the most intractable challenges in education. OII
promotes this platform as a tool for use with the Investing in
Innovation grant program (i3), which was established as the
Innovation Fund in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA), signed into law by the President on February 17,
2009. This program provides $650,000,000 in competitive grants to
Local Education Agencies (LEAs), non-profit organizations working
in collaboration with LEAs, or non-profit organizations working in
collaboration with a consortium of schools. The Department must
obligate funds to i3 grantees before the end of fiscal year 2010,
September 30, 2010. The Department also plans for the Portal to
remain operational after i3 funding is awarded so that there is an
ongoing community that focuses on innovation in education. Part of
our intent in implementing the i3 program is to identify innovative
new approaches proposed by individuals and organizations that have
previously had limited experience in obtaining grants in the
education sector yet have promising evidence-based ideas for
improving American education. These applicants in particular face
challenges in identifying schools or LEAs with which to partner
given their limited experience in the field. Further, organizations
without existing relationships in education may find it difficult
to secure the private sector matching funds required of all
grantees under ARRA. Receiving OMBs approval for an extension of
the PRA clearance will allow continued operation of the Portal,
which currently has over 3000 members, and support improved student
achievement through school improvement and reform, a key
departmental goal.
PL:
Pub.L. 111 - 5 14007 Name of Law: American Recovery and
Reinvestment Acto of 2009
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.