The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has announced a Request for Proposals for 2022 Phillip Jackson Freedom School Grant to establish a Freedom School network to supplement the learning taking place in public schools by creating programs with a mission to improve the odds for children in poverty.
Donor Name: Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 04/29/2022
Size of the Grant: $350,000
Grant Duration: 1 year 3 months
Details:
The Phillip Jackson Freedom Schools Grant will establish a Freedom School network to supplement the learning taking place in public schools by creating programs with a mission to improve the odds for children in poverty. Freedom Schools will provide activities and support using a research-based and multicultural curriculum for disenfranchised communities most affected by the opportunity gap and learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and by expanding the teaching of African American history, developing leadership skills, and providing an understanding of the tenets of the civil rights movement.
Program Objectives
Programs must provide intentionally and imaginatively employ strategies that focus on all the following:
- Civic engagement
- Literacy
- Racial justice and equity
- Transparency and building trusting relationships
- Self-determination and governance
- Building on community strengths and community wisdom
- Utilizing current data, best practices, and evidence
- Shared leadership and collaboration
- A reflective learning culture
- A whole child approach to education
Programs should provide for engaging, culturally relevant, and challenging curricula; high-quality teaching; wraparound supports and opportunities; positive discipline practices, such as restorative justice; and leadership opportunities.
Programs must strive for authentic parent and community engagement during the development of Freedom Schools and their curriculum. Authentic parent and community engagement include all the following:
- A shared responsibility that values equal partnerships between families and professionals.
- Ensuring that students and families who are directly impacted by Freedom School policies and practices are the decision-makers in the creation, design, implementation, and assessment of those policies and practices.
- Genuine respect for the culture and diversity of families.
- Relationships that center around the goal of supporting family well-being and learning.
- Students participating in Freedom School programs will be required to participate in pre- and post-assessments of literacy and other program objectives.
Funding Information
The total amount of federal funding available is $17 million. The amount funded per applicant will be $350,000. A cost sharing or matching component is acceptable but not required for these funds.
Grant Period
The grant period will begin no sooner than May 2, 2022 and will extend from the execution date of the grant until August 31, 2023.
Targets
- There will be a 2.5 percent increase in proficiency and growth in literacy and other program objectives for program participants by the end of the program on pre- and post-assessments.
- Parent and community engagement rates will be 2.5 percent higher for student participants.
Eligible Applicants
- Public schools, public universities, public community colleges, not-for-profit entities, and community-based organizations are eligible to apply.
- Priority will be given to joint applications between a community-based organization or a not-for-profit and another eligible entity.
For more information, visit Phillip Jackson Freedom Schools Grant.
