Foundations pledge for state-aid application

PROVIDENCE – Three foundations have pledged a total of $245,000 to help the R.I. Department of Education in applying for up to $100 million in federal “Race to the Top” funds.
A $95,000 contribution from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and donations of $75,000 each from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation will go toward assembling the application for the federal money, according to Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist.
State education officials said it will use the funds from the three foundations to hire national experts to work with RIDE staff in preparing the strategy for Rhode Island education reform. The grant application requires the state to detail how it will use the money to support school reform, turn around the lowest-performing schools, build better data systems and establish world-class standards and assessments.
RIDE has hired two firms to help with the grant-application process: ConnectEd Partners and Urban Policy Development Consulting. The Brown University Education Department has also provided graduate assistants to help.
In addition, Commissioner Gist has assembled a steering committee to guide the grant-application process. &#8226