From MDR
 
The State Perspective
 

Dr. Jennifer House, Ph.D., RedRock Reports

 
Successful School Marketer spoke with Dr. Jennifer (Jenny) House of RedRock Reports, a recently launched firm that monitors state-based funding initiatives, grants, and other related education funding programs both for marketers and districts themselves. Dr. House noted, “There are interesting new areas gathering momentum. For example, the state of Florida has embarked on a major new preschool initiative, using state-provided funds. While funds will flow to some public school districts, private centers will also be in line for increased support. In addition, we see states taking it upon themselves to rapidly establish high school initiatives, in the face of disappointing NAEP scores.” (See examples of funding alerts at the end of this article.)

What should education marketers do next? Dr. House answers that question succinctly with the response, “Target, target, target!” She notes that it’s more critical than ever to track grants and funding at the state and local levels, so that companies can help customers and prospects respond appropriately to available funding opportunities that are specific to their states’ explicit requirements. She explains that in many cases, it requires a dedicated staff position—someone whose primary responsibility is to monitor state-level funding data consistently. Dr. House also comments that helping districts respond to grant opportunities has become a significant component of the sales and marketing efforts, saying, “The best of all possible worlds is to have your product or program written into the grant, which requires significant investment in district-based relationship-building. It also helps to have materials ready to support districts as they complete and apply for grant funding. That why alert services, like those of RedRock Reports and other providers, have become critical components of successful sales and marketing programs.”

Two examples of specific, state-based funding data are reproduced here to give SSM readers an idea of the kind of information available:

Florida’s Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Education Programs (VPK) and Programs for Children with Disabilities

The Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Education Programs (VPK) and Programs for Children with Disabilities are funded through both federal and state allocations. VPK programs are operated by early learning coalitions. All eligible four-year-olds, including children with disabilities, are entitled to participate in one of the VPK program options. Three Florida agencies work together to implement this program:

1) Agency for Workforce Innovation (day-to-day management)
2) Department of Children and Families (licensing and credentialing)
3) Department of Education (creation of standards, curriculum, and accountability)

The Florida State Legislature allocated $2,500 per VPK student for approximately $387 million.
Information is available at: http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-3360/elcc_att2.pdf

For additional information, contact the office of Workforce Innovation at: http://www.floridajobs.org/VPK/index.html

High School Tutoring Grants

As the date approaches where passing the state assessment is part of the high school student’s graduation requirement, states will begin to supplement basic education with funding for tutoring services. These services are generally targeted to juniors or seniors who have not passed at least one area of the state’s required assessment. Parents can request tutoring services. Two states implementing these programs are:

California
CAHSEE Intensive Instruction and Services ($20,000,000) http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r19/cahseeiis05rfa.asp

Arizona
2006 State Tutoring Fund ($7,059,000) http://www.ade.az.gov/GME/FundingProfileView/FundingProfileSummary.asp?ID=345

Dr. Jennifer House of RedRock Reports is a noted education market consultant and a frequent speaker at education conferences. She can be reached via e-mail at jhouse@redrockreports.com.


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