Baseline Analysis of SIG Schools

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released the Department’s first report on the revamped School Improvement Grants (SIG) program, “Baseline Analyses of SIG Applications and SIG-Eligible and SIG-Awarded Schools.”

This baseline report provides an overview of the state policies and practices for SIG implementation as well as a description of the first round of SIG awards made to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and SIG-eligible schools. The report focuses on two key questions:

1. What SIG-related policies and practices do states intend to implement based on their SIG applications?
2. What are the characteristics of SIG-eligible and SIG-awarded schools?

The report is divided into four sections, organized to mirror the flow of SIG funds as they are disbursed from the federal government to states and then from states to districts and schools. Accordingly, Section 2 provides an overview of the key elements of the SIG program. Section 3 provides an analysis of state SIG applications approved by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), focusing on the definition and identification of SIG-eligible schools, how states determine district capacity and how states are monitoring and supporting SIG implementation. Section 4 reviews descriptive data on the characteristics of SIG-eligible schools identified by states, as well as the characteristics of SIG-awarded schools. Section 5 concludes by synthesizing the key findings from the report.

To view the report, see http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114019/