Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
2014 Application Cycle
Applications due December 20, 2013
Grant Application Type:
_______ School
_______ District
_______Regional School or Collaboration
Post-evaluation Signatures (Applicants, please leave this area blank)
Joint Advisory Committee Score:
Application is
Approved
Chairperson, Education and Workforce Innovation Commission
Not approved
Date
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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The Education and Workforce Innovation Fund seeks to identify sites for acceleration of
successful innovative programs that combine academic rigor and skills development with the
goal of graduating every student both college and career ready. Ambitious plans will include
accelerated strategies in five core areas: 1) align public schools with business and industry and
colleges/universities; 2) provide greater choice for parents/guardians among high quality
education options; 3) enhance teacher and principal effectiveness; 4) ensure all students possess
job-ready skills; and 5) leverage technology to drive both student and teacher learning.
Applicant & Award Categories
Schools: Existing comprehensive and charter or innovative schools or proposals for new career
academies, charter schools, early college high schools, STEM schools or other approaches.*
Districts: All Local Education Agencies statewide or a feeder pattern of schools within a district.
Regional School or Collaboration: More than one Local Education Agency in partnership to
form a regional school or regional collaboration.
Grants in the school category will be eligible for a state award of up to $350,000 spread over five
years. All district and regional partnerships will be eligible for a state award of up to $800,000
spread over five years.
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the program costs must come from local funds. In addition, a
statewide private match of twenty-five percent (25%) will be secured through the Office of the
Governor and North Carolina New Schools and distributed to grantees.
Category
School
District
Region
Maximum State
Funding
$350,000.00
$800,000.00
$800,000.00
Maximum Private
State-level Funding
$87,500.00
$200,000.00
$200,000.00
Local Match
$87,500.00
$200,000.00
$200,000.00
Maximum Total
Award
$525,000.00
$1,200,000.00
$1,200,000.00
* Schools that require Cooperative Innovative status must secure that designation through a
separate application. The Cooperative Innovative approval process is defined by G.S. 115C238.51. The Cooperative Innovative application and additional information can be found here.
Fund Restrictions
Funds may not be used for the following:
• Capital expenses
• 1:1 technology initiatives
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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Requirements for Grant Recipients
•
•
Grant recipients must submit an annual report for the preceding grant year including an
accounting of how the funds were utilized, academic progress made by students and the
implementation of initiatives no later than March 1 of each year of the grant.
All awardees must participate in Peer Learning Innovation Network activities. These faceto-face and digital networks allow teachers and principals to:
• Share effective practices and lessons learned;
• Bring together teachers and leaders for intensive development that sustains their focus
on instruction, academic rigor, skills development and communities of practice; and
• Benchmark data against state and national standards.
Directions for Completion
•
•
•
•
Read carefully the information contained on this and the following pages prior to completing
the application.
The application must be submitted jointly by local board(s) of education (or governing board
of the school if board of education is not applicable) and the governing board of a postsecondary institution. Applicants must include a school/program description (1 page).
An electronic version of the entire application packet will be submitted via e-mail to
brady.bender@nc.gov.
One (1) hard-copy signature page shall be submitted by the local board of education to:
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund
Attention: Brady Bender
Office of the Governor
116 West Jones Street
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Descriptive Information Requirements
Describe briefly (500-word maximum) the focus of the proposed strategy. Be sure to address the
following information:
 Goals that shall be adopted for the transformation strategy
 Student population served
 Other education partners
 Business or community partners
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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Part I – District(s) Data
Free/Reduced Lunch Population: _____________
First Generation College Attending Population: _____________
Graduation Rate: _______________
ACT Scores: _______________
EOC Composite Pass Rate: _______________
EVAAS Scores: ______________
Part II – Student Population Information
1. Indicate number of students to be served.
2. Identify student population that will be served by transformational strategy.
3. Describe recruitment strategies to ensure identified target population will be served by
transformational strategy.
Part III – K-12, Higher Education and Business and Industry Alignment
4. Describe the transformational strategy’s partnership with a community college or public or
private university to enable every student to graduate with workplace credentials and/or
college credit.
5. Indicate how the transformational strategy will develop links to business and industry and/or
economic and workforce development agencies (i.e., business advisory councils, work-based
experiences for students and teachers).
6. Identify how the transformational strategy will develop aligned career pathway systems that
meet regional workforce development needs.
7. Describe how the transformational strategy will maintain a common set of high standards for
every student to prepare them for college and career.
Part IV – Teacher and Administrator Development
8. Indicate how the transformational strategy includes a comprehensive, sustained approach to
enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers and administrators to successfully implement
the proposed strategy and graduate all students ready for both work and college.
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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9. Describe the plan for sustained professional development for teachers and administrators that
is both practice- and research-based and that aligns with the goals of graduating every student
both college and career ready.
Part V – Curriculum and Instructional Focus
10. Provide a description of the overall instructional program and include how it will bring
innovation into the classroom.
11. Indicate how effectiveness will be measured (i.e., ABCs results, Work Keys performance,
employer surveys, dropout rates, graduation rates, and college-going rates).
12. Explain how curriculum and instructional focus will support the development of aligned
pathways to prepare students for both college and careers.
13. Explain how the transformational strategy will leverage technology to effectively and
efficiently support teacher and principal development, connect students and teachers to
online courses and resources, and engage students in meaningful use of technology.
Part VI – Business Plan
14. Provide a description of the funds that will be used and a proposed five-year budget.
15. Use the template provided in Appendix A to provide a proposed annual budget for the fiveyear grant period.
16. Describe how the 25% local match will be raised and maintained over the five-year grant
period.
17. Explain how the spending priorities align with the strategy’s mission.
18. How will the transformational strategy be sustained beyond the five-year grant?
19. If multiple Local Education Agency partnership application identify one LEA who will serve
as the fiscal agent for the grant.
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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Part VII – Identification and Signatures
Contact Information:
Name: ___________________
Title: ____________________
Phone: ___________________
E-mail: ___________________
________________________________________
Chairperson, Local Board of Education/Charter School
/Regional School
_______________
Date
________________________________________
Chairperson, Local Higher Education Board
_______________
Date
Education and Workforce Innovation Fund Application
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APPENDIX A
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Personnel
Travel
Equipment
Supplies
Training
Contractual
Other
Total
Total request to Education and Workforce Innovation Fund:
Total support from local funds:
Year 5
Total