Arizona State Charter School Wins $2.9 Million Innovation Grant

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/22/14
A charter school system sponsored by Arizona State University will be receiving a sizable grant from the Department of Education in order to integrate the use of technology into its classrooms. ASU Preparatory Academy, with six schools and four locations near or on university campuses, has a mission of providing personalized, "university embedded" academic programs that push students to pursue college. Seven out of 10 students served, many Hispanic, are eligible for free and reduced lunch. The academy has a total of about 2,000 students.

The academy will be receiving $2.9 million over five years from ED's Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) grant competition. The 2013 i3 grants went to 25 applicants out of 618 applications submitted. As part of the funding process, each applicant was required to secure matching funds.

Gathering, Reflecting, Owning our Work (GROW), the program pushed by the academy in its i3 application, is designed to use technology, a blend of "emergent learning strategies" and "innovative teacher effectiveness technologies" to improve student learning outcomes.

Under GROW, students will be given computing devices they can use at school and home, as well as access to learning programs such as ePals, Skype, and digital textbooks. Teachers will receive ongoing professional development to help them learn how to integrate technology-based educational resources into the curriculum.

Another aspect of GROW is to invest in software that allows families to communicate through digital translation. Families will be required to commit 30 volunteer hours each academic year to help promote the idea that family involvement can have a major impact on student success. A "help counter" will assist them in tracking and scheduling their hours. Family members will also be invited to attend a 10-week outreach program delivered at Arizona State to help them learn how to help their children in school.

The charter school was initially opened in 2008 by the university under an umbrella organization, University Public Schools, as a way to help disadvantaged students get prepared for higher education.

"Education and college preparation demands increasing reliance on the latest software applications and technology tools. Solely relying on state funding will not provide adequate resources to create the technology rich environments that are critical to ensuring success," said Beatriz Rendon, chief executive officer of the academy and associate vice president for Arizona State's Educational Outreach and Student Services. "The i3 grant will help us position our students to be among the most successful and competitive students in the world."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    Nonprofit LawZero to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.