Due by March 30, 2018 EARLY SUBMISSIONS PRIORITIZED, FAST-TRACKED

Thank you for your interest in applying to the 2018-2019 Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) partner cohort. EOS and our partners are supported by generous contributions from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Jack Kent Cooke and Tableau Foundations, Google and others, and assisted by researchers from the Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University.

Over one thousand U.S. high schools have been nominated to apply based on early findings of academic progress through research by EOS and the Education Trust. This year, 125 schools will be selected to receive match-funded technical assistance to help them change the sense of what's possible for their students by fully reflecting their student diversity in AP & IB programs while improving AP/IB pass rates. For additional information on ISBE funding or the call for funding proposals, please check the ISBE site.

By building on their best academic programs, selected schools will work with EOS with access to EOS's national network to implement what are among the highest impact strategies for boosting college readiness while closing the achievement gap. “Closing gaps in opportunity and support for our students drives economic and social growth for our communities. The success of our AP program shows what happens when we invest in equity." - State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D.

Thank you for your leadership on behalf of students. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Sincerely,

REID SAARIS | FOUNDER AND CEO, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY SCHOOLS

IF SELECTED, PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS WILL RECEIVE MEDIA SUPPORT TO PUBLICIZE THEIR SELECTION THROUGH LOCAL AND NATIONAL PRESS CHANNELS. SCHOOLS WILL ALSO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS

SUPPORT TO PUBLICIZE THEIR EQUITY GAP CLOSURE UPON PROJECT COMPLETION. CLICK FOR EXAMPLES OF COVERAGE ON EOS’S AP/IB EQUITY WORK.

ASCD YOUNG EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR CLASS PRESIDENT ON HIS AP EXPERIENCE

LETTER OF INTENT18-19 EOS Partner Cohort

DISTRICT NAME:If selected for the programs technical assistance, we will set a one-year goal of growing all of our selected high schools' AP and/or IB program(s) to fully reflect each school's diversity, while raising performance in those courses. We believe that this is an important priority because:

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At a district level, we demonstrate leadership on the issues of equity, closing opportunity and achievement gaps, and the importance of academic rigor for college and career readiness in the following ways:

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Our high school Principals and their teams have demonstrated leadership on the issues of equity, closing opportunity and achievement gaps, and the importance of academic rigor for college and career readiness in the following ways:

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To build on our successes, and to achieve the goal of fully reflecting our district’s diversity in AP/IB while raising performance, if selected to the project, we are further prepared to provide the following in the year ahead [e.g. future resource commitments, board policy positions, student and teacher support initiatives, etc.]:

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LETTER OF INTENT

This is a non-binding letter of intent, not a contract. If accepted to the project, the district hereby expresses its intention to finalize a memorandum of understanding by March 30, 2018.

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

LETTER OF INTENT

4. Please indicate at this stage which district cabinet-level leader (Assistant Superintendent) you expect to be responsible for overseeing the successful implementation and ensuring schools meet our joint equity outcomes ______________________________. Please attach to this LOI a short statement (no more than 250 words) from this district leader about why this work is important to them and the key leverage points, resources, personnel, aligned initiatives, etc., they would use to ensure the success and sustainability of the program in their district.

5. Commit $27,000 in payment per school, plus related travel expenses, for participation in the program, s which includes expert leadership coaching, deep data analysis, and best-practice strategic planning in the following areas:

[NOTE: The full costs of the program is $54,000. EOS funders, including Chan-Zuckerberg, Jack Kent Cooke, Tableau, and others generously subsidize $27,000 per selected school.]

a. Measuring student- and school-specific causes of college-readiness gaps using immediately actionable data and highlycustomized recommendations for gap closure;

b. Using field-leading analytics to identify more than enough AP/IB-capable students to fully close race and income gaps inadvanced courses;

c. Transitioning identified students to AP/IB participation and success, using the experience EOS has garnered frompartnerships in a majority of the equitable AP/IB programs nationwide;

d. Developing customized student and teacher success strategies to ensure academic success and sustainability ofresults.

e. Catalyzing a higher sense of what’s possible for underrepresented students through their academic success in AP andIB courses, developing a culture of consistently high expectations & outcomes.

f. Customized coaching for Principals and district leaders, project management support, and regular site visits by an EOSPartnership Director.

SUBMIT THIS FORM EMAIL AS AN ATTACHMENT TO:

ALEXA@EOSCHOOLS.ORG

NOTE: IN ADDITION TO THIS LOI, BASIC AP/IB DATA MUST BE SUBMITTED: EOS AP/IB ENROLLMENT FORM

QUESTIONS? CONTACT ALEXA LLIBRE, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES (ALEXA@EOSCHOOLS.ORG)