§7243 Applications

Summary

Statewide groups that want a grant must send an application to the Secretary when and how the Secretary says. The application must describe the group’s plan for getting families involved in schools, how the State education agency and partners will support the statewide family engagement center, and a plan for building a statewide system (management, leadership, and services). The application must show that the group has experience training and helping agencies, schools, educators, parents, and community groups, including work with low-income families, English learners, minorities, students with disabilities, homeless or foster youth, and migrant students. It must explain how services will reach low-income students and parents. The applicant must promise to set up a special advisory committee with parents as the majority and members from teachers/experts, schools (including students), business, and state/local education agencies. The promise must also say the group will use at least 65% of funds each year to serve schools and groups with many disadvantaged students, keep a statewide center big enough and staffed to help the State and local schools, serve urban, suburban, and rural areas, work with other centers and the centers in sections 1471 and 1472, and use at least 30% of funds for technical help for evidence-based parent education. The group must also provide family-support help, find out parent needs, do outreach (including hard-to-reach and non‑English proficient parents), and run adult literacy training, including financial literacy. The Secretary will give priority to centers that use funds for evidence-based activities meeting section 7801(21)(A)(i).