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DOE Awards $116M for School Tech Assistance, Equity Programs

The funding will go to 19 magnet schools' equity efforts, as well as the creation of four regional “equity assistance centers” that provide public schools with technical assistance and guidance on nondiscrimination.

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The U.S. Department of Education has awarded more than $116 million in grants to fund tech support in 19 schools.

According to a news release this month, the department doled out $110 million in awards from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), as well as four new grant awards for the department’s 2022 Equity Assistance Center (EAC) program, totaling more than $6.5 million. The department said the EAC funding will create four regional “equity assistance centers” across the U.S. — one each in New England, the Midwest, the South and the West — that will provide technical assistance to public schools and other agencies "focused on addressing equity in their community for students and the educators who support them related to race, sex, national origin, gender identity, disability and religion.”

According to an email from DOE spokesperson Elaine Quesinberry, the EAC program, authorized under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act, is among the department’s longest-standing investments in technical assistance, and the last round of funding was awarded in 2016. She said EACs are responsible for helping to identify educational programs for meeting the needs of English-language learners, sharing information on best practices and legal requirements for nondiscrimination, and training educators to prevent harassment and identify bias in instructional materials.

According to the announcement, the MSAP funding looks to improve magnet schools with innovative instructional approaches that involve and challenge students from different backgrounds. Quesinberry said the program has existed since the 1980s, and this round of MSAP funding can be used flexibly for instructional materials, paying and training educators to meet specific needs, planning and promotion of a district's magnet schools, and transportation to magnet schools so more students can attend them.

“There are caveats and limitations, but again, there is flexibility to allow districts to implement magnet schools as a desegregation strategy that can work for them,” she said in an email.

According to the department, both new rounds of funding come shortly after U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona laid out plans to challenge states and districts to address any systems perpetuating inequities in schools, specifically by increasing federal emphasis on programs supporting underserved student groups. A full list of schools receiving funding, as well as additional information on the programs, is available on the department's website.

“Today, we’re investing in schools and communities that have shown a commitment to intentionally serving students and closing opportunity gaps based on race, place and circumstance in America,” Cardona said in a recent announcement about the funding. “Every child has something to offer this country, and they deserve access to effective educators, inclusive and supportive learning environments, and innovative, engaging programs that unlock their potential and lead to success. These grant awards will help communities reimagine our schools through a more equitable lens and raise the bar for how we serve students who too often get left behind.”
Brandon Paykamian is a former staff writer for the Center for Digital Education.
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