The U.S. Department of Education has launched a website that brings a new level of transparency to its grant-making process.
The website, data.ed.gov, enables visitors to look up information about grant applications, and applicants and their partners. The first competitive grant program featured on the site is the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3).
Visitors can see the list of 1,700 applicants for those grants, such as the St. Paul, Minn.-based National Youth Leadership Council, Philadelphia-based Public/Private Ventures, and the Los Angeles-based Youth Policy Institute. (The applications themselves are not available.)
The i3 fund is designed to 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 site also provides data about such topics as federal student aid, math and science assessments, and high school dropout and completion rates.
