On May 8, 2018 , the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) issued a Request for Information for Advanced Education Research & Development Programs.
Overview & Purpose: This is not an application for funding; rather, submissions will be used by the organizations to inform the development and design of an accelerated research and development strategy to be piloted through a jointly funded program in the future. The future initiative will seek to produce and advance transformative solutions designed to achieve specific, measurable improvements in student outcomes, both academic and non-academic.
One does not need to respond to the RFI to qualify for any potential future funding related to these topics, but it is an opportunity to impact what those future R&D efforts may be.
Specifically, the organizations are seeking input from the field to identify evidence- and theory-grounded visions for new, ambitious developments in the following program areas:
- Improving Writing: Developing the Requisite Habits, Skills, and Strategies
- Improving Mathematical Understanding, Application, and Related Mindsets
- Measuring and Improving Executive Function
Submission characteristics: For all three program areas, ideas or solutions may focus anywhere from early childhood through the transition to post-secondary education. Submissions need not be comprehensive, but can address one or more of the potential “topic areas” identified in the above program overviews. Responses should both clearly reflect the current state-of-the-art and also describe bold visions of what is possible in terms of impact on students in 10 years if programs and projects are successful.
Eligibility: The RFI is a public invitation–individuals, groups, or collaborations both inside and outside the education community are invited to participate (including but not limited to practitioners, universities, university-affiliated research centers, not-for-profit research institutions, professional development organizations, government-sponsored labs, and public and private companies).
Up to four organizations/individuals may respond to the RFI together, and respondents may submit multiple entries either individually or in collaboration with others.
Submission instructions: Submissions involve responses to a series of questions about the project idea, ranging from 250-800 words, with optional graphic/visual addendum. Submissions are accepted via web portal, and are due by 5:00pm PST on Friday, June 8th, 2018.
On Tuesday, May 22, the RFI team hosted a live webinar to address questions from potential responders. A recording will be posted on CZI’s site here by May 24th, 2018.
