Renard I. Jackson, assistant professor of education, served as an independent peer reviewer for the Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant Review for the U.S. Department of Education, an effort funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
After completing a rigorous nationwide vetting process, Jackson was one of three regional educational peer reviewers assigned as a subject matter expert for 20 grant applications. As a peer reviewer, he provided his experience, was available throughout the review process, June through September when grant awards were announced, and maintained strict confidentiality.
The program’s purpose is to provide competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement, attainment or retention in order to expand the implementation of, and investment in innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement or student growth, closing achievement gaps, decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates.