ED Awards $78M in STEM Grants
        
        
        
        The U.S. Department of Education is providing 29 grantees with approximately $78 million in funds that focus on STEM initiatives as part of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program. Over 85 percent of the STEM-funded projects include a specific focus on computer science.
ED has distributed $123 million through the competitive program for the 2019 fiscal year. The program supports school districts, nonprofits and state educational agencies with grants to create, implement or scale evidence-based innovation projects focused on improving academic achievement for "high-need students."
"For too long, the one-size-fits-all approach to education has failed too many students," said ED Secretary Betsy DeVos. "Through the EIR program, grantees have the opportunity to rethink education and approach student learning in new ways. I'm excited to see states, school districts and nonprofits proposing more creativity, innovation and personalization on behalf of students."
The grants also include $30 million for eight projects that serve rural areas.
The full list of recipients is below:
    
        
            | State | Grantee | FY Award Amount | 
        
            | AL | Alabama State   Department of Education | $2,381,949 | 
        
            | AZ | Center for the Future   of Arizona | $2,118,752 | 
        
            | CA | New Teacher Center | $8,659,037 | 
        
            | CA | Pasadena Unified School   District | $2,764,774 | 
        
            | CA | San Diego Unified   School District | $1,928,782 | 
        
            | CA | San Francisco Unified   School District | $2,271,114 | 
        
            | CA | Small School Districts'   Association | $1,989,724 | 
        
            | CA | The Regents of the   University of California, Irvine | $2,594,705 | 
        
            | CO | BSCS Science Learning | $4,941,454 | 
        
            | CT | Sacred Heart University | $2,104,621 | 
        
            | DC | American Institutes for   Research | $5,472,348 | 
        
            | DC | Smithsonian Institution | $2,137,719 | 
        
            | FL | Putnam County School   District | $2,557,855 | 
        
            | FL | Seminole County Public   Schools | $2,201,369 | 
        
            | IL | Community Unit School   District 60 | $2,171,699 | 
        
            | IL | Computer Science   Teachers Association LLC | $3,015,767 | 
        
            | IL | Lumity | $2,489,370 | 
        
            | IN | University of   Indianapolis | $4,858,773 | 
        
            | KS | University of Kansas   Center for Research, Inc. | $4,633,331 | 
        
            | KY | Green River Regional   Educational Cooperative | $2,835,449 | 
        
            | LA | Louisiana Department of   Education | $3,031,226 | 
        
            | LA | Louisiana State   University | $2,308,115 | 
        
            | MA | Education Development   Center, Inc. | $2,493,595 | 
        
            | MA | Technical Education   Research Centers, Inc. | $3,175,344 | 
        
            | MA | Tufts University | $2,926,243 | 
        
            | MA | Worcester Polytechnic   Institute | $4,980,445 | 
        
            | MS | Scott County School   District | $3,754,677 | 
        
            | NC | Iredell-Statesville   Schools | $2,176,977 | 
        
            | ND | Touro College | $1,493,857 | 
        
            | NE | Board of Regents, Univ   of Nebraska Lincoln | $2,177,752 | 
        
            | NE | Educational Service   Unit 2 | $2,400,000 | 
        
            | NJ | Center for Supportive   Schools | $2,081,943 | 
        
            | NY | New York Hall of   Science | $2,899,819 | 
        
            | OH | The Ohio State   University | $5,024,930 | 
        
            | RI | Rhode Island Department   of Education | $2,510,111 | 
        
            | TX | IDEA Public Schools | $2,636,705 | 
        
            | TX | National Math and   Science Initiative | $3,084,571 | 
        
            | VA | Old Dominion University   Research Foundation | $2,384,051 | 
        
            | VA | The Rector and Visitors   of the University of Virginia | $2,756,804 | 
        
            | VA | Winchester School Board | $2,502,734 | 
        
            | WA | Code.org | $2,467,808 | 
    
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
            
        
        
                
                    About the Author
                    
                
                    
                    
 Sara Friedman is a reporter/producer for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe covering education policy and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics.
Sara Friedman is a reporter/producer for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe covering education policy and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics.
Friedman is a graduate of Ithaca College, where she studied journalism, politics and international communications.
Friedman can be contacted at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @SaraEFriedman.
Click here for previous articles by Friedman.