U.S. Department of Education: Magnet Schools Assistance Program
The Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) provides grants to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) and consortia of LEAs to support magnet schools under an approved, required or voluntary, desegregation plan. By supporting the development and implementation of magnet schools that reduce, eliminate, or prevent minority group isolation, these program resources can be used to support State and local efforts to enable all elementary and secondary school students to achieve high standards. In particular, the MSAP provides an opportunity for eligible entities to provide students from varied backgrounds with the educational benefits of diversity and equitable access to a high-quality education that will enable all students to succeed academically.
There are five competitive preference priorities under this program:
Competitive Preference Priority 1—Need for Assistance (0 to 5 additional points). This includes how well the applicant addresses:
- The costs of fully implementing the magnet schools project as proposed
- The resources available to the applicant to carry out the project if funds under the program were not provided
- The extent to which the costs of the project exceed the applicant’s resources
- The difficulty of effectively carrying out the approved plan and the project for which assistance is sought, including consideration of how the design of the magnet schools project impacts the applicant’s ability to successfully carry out the approved plan
Competitive Preference Priority 2—New or Revised Magnet Schools Projects (0 to 5 additional points). This priority considers the extent to which the applicant proposes to carry out new magnet schools projects or significantly revise existing magnet schools projects.
Competitive Preference Priority 3—Selection of Students (0 to 5 additional points). This priority considers the extent to which the applicant proposes to select students to attend magnet schools by methods such as lottery, rather than through academic examination.
Competitive Preference Priority 4—Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (0 to 5 additional points). Projects that are designed to improve student achievement or other related outcomes by supporting local or regional partnerships to give students access to real-world STEM experiences and to give educators access to high-quality STEM-related professional learning.
Competitive Preference Priority 5—Supporting Strategies for which there is Evidence of Promise (0 or 5 additional points). Projects that propose a process, product, strategy, or practice supported by evidence of promise. The Department of Education is particularly interested in evidence of promise surrounding racial and socioeconomic integration.
Amount: $91,322,994 is available for 8-10 awards ranging from $700,000-$4,000,000 per year for three years.
Eligibility: LEAs or consortia of LEAs implementing a desegregation plan. Applicants must submit with their applications one of the following types of desegregation plans to establish eligibility to receive MSAP assistance: (a) A desegregation plan required by a court order; (b) a desegregation plan required by a State agency or an official of competent jurisdiction; (c) a desegregation plan required by the Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI); or (d) a voluntary desegregation plan adopted by the applicant and submitted to the Department for approval as part of the application.
Note: A notice of intent to apply is due May 9, 2016.
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