Research for Action is a nonprofit education research organization. We use field-driven insights to advance equity in opportunities and outcomes for underserved students and their families along the early childhood to postsecondary education pipeline.

(267) 295-7780

(267) 4408995

Professor of Practice/Director of Administrative Licensure Program

Hamline School  of Education and Leadership 

1536 Hewitt Avenue (MS-A1720) 

Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104 

O: 651.523.2928 | M: 612.817.4369 | E: jgustafson17@hamline.edu

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) makes funding available to a qualified external entity to complete the identified scope of work for the purpose of developing and implementing a board governance research study and development project to conduct a research study and analysis of charter school board governance in Minnesota to identify root cause(s) of persistent governance issues.

The entity will develop a report with recommendations which may include legislative recommendations. The report will be shared with the Minnesota charter sector broadly, including MDE, charter schools, authorizers, and charter school advocacy organizations, and will allow Minnesota charter stakeholder to co-develop a statewide plan in response to the recommendations. 

CFDA 84.282A

Due Date: September 6, 2024

Total amount available: The maximum three-year grant award may not exceed $450,000 ($150,000 per year).

Submit all required materials to mde.compgrants@state.mn.us

Timeline

Question and Answer period closes: August 21, 2024

Completed applications due: September 6, 2024

Anticipated date of grantee announcement: October 2024

Required Grant Documentation

All documentation below is required for a complete grant. A complete application submission will include the Coversheet, Assurances, Application Narrative as one document, and the Excel Budget along with any other documentation that is requested in the Instruction Document.

Instruction Document

• This document contains all the information you will need to complete this grant application, including our criteria for the grant, how to apply, and the selection process.

Grant Coversheet, Assurances, and Application Narrative

• This is the official coversheet, assurances and application narrative. Please download and complete all fields.

Budget

• You must complete the budget document and submit it to us in Excel format.

Additional Required Documents

• Applicants must submit evidence of submission of the most recent year’s federal tax filing. Include this as an attachment in the submission email.

Rubric

Review the rubric for information on how the narrative questions will be scored.

Questions and Answers

If you have any questions about this grant, please contact the program specialist Rhianon Sargent, Federal Charter Schools Program Grants Manager, at rhianon.sargent@state.mn.us or 651-582-8759. Questions may only be answered by this person. All questions must be submitted by August 21, 2024. We will publish a list of all the questions that we received after August 26, 2024.

The Minnesota Department of Education grant for the Charter School Board Governance Research Study and Development Project for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 provides a unique opportunity to review the practices in place regarding governance. This will be of great value in understanding how board governance contributes to school performance, especially in schools where the population includes a high minority percentage. Governance directly correlates with success or failure in schools, and by studying these practices, the strengths and weaknesses within the system can be identified. The study will also identify best practices that can then be duplicated in other charter schools, creating an environment that is not just equitable but of quality for all students attending school.

Findings from this study could inform the development of strategies for policymakers, educators, and community leaders as they work to address charter school governance in ways that best serve their very diverse student populations. This research will ultimately contribute to the ongoing effort to close the achievement gap and advance educational equity throughout Minnesota and will be key to the next step in the future of education in Minnesota.