The Senate HELP Committee today approved legislative language that would replace the Investing in Innovation (i3) program with a new, bottom-up education alternative. The bipartisan amendment, offered by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), was approved by voice vote during a markup of a bill that would rework the No Child Left Behind Act.
The amendment (text) is based on a proposal from the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy that would promote field-initiated innovations and subject them to increasing levels of rigorous evaluation as they expand from an initial proof-of-concept stage to wider implementation.
“Teachers and school leaders across the country have innovative, evidence-based ideas that have the potential to significantly increase student achievement,” Sen. Bennet said. “The innovation funds in this amendment help support the development, implementation, expansion and replication of these initiatives to help more students succeed.”
The amendment was backed by the Knowledge Alliance, Results for America, the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, and over 140 other organizations.
The underlying bill, introduced by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) , also contains several other evidence and innovation provisions, including those governing evaluations and pay-for-success.
Update: The committee passed the bill on April 16 by a vote of 22-0. It now goes to the Senate floor.
Related
- Bipartisan Senate Education Bill May Advance Evidence-based Policy (April 8, 2015)
- i3’s Fate Tied to NCLB Reauthorization (February 20, 2015)