Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education

The federal government's Office of Innovation and Improvement was created in December 2002 with a budget of about $2 billion and a staff of about 100, and placed under the direction of Deputy Undersecretary of Education Nina Rees. As well as managing some two dozen competitive grant programs, ranging from charter schools to dropout prevention, OII also coordinates the public school choice and supplemental education services provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. (See "Rees Takes Helm at Office of Innovation and Improvement," School Reform News, February 2003.)

One of OII's tasks is to look at new ways school districts and states implement education reforms in order to improve student achievement. Promising and innovative practices are promoted in the Education Innovator newsletter. Back issues are available at OII's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/index.html.

OII's Web site also provides information about the office's programs and services, parental options, and family rights. The Web site contains links to other sites and news articles as part of the continuing discussion of education improvement.