New Education Bill Funds 10 Years of Research and Grants for Innovative Teaching Models, Starting 2026

This bill, officially called the Developing and Advancing Innovative Learning Models Act, sets up a serious, long-term federal effort to change how we teach in schools. Its main goal is to pump federal money into researching, developing, and getting schools to actually use new, creative teaching methods that are backed by data. The Institute for Education Sciences (IES) is tasked with leading this charge, which includes running two major grant programs and figuring out which federal and state regulations are currently acting as roadblocks to innovation.

The Research Lab: Funding New Ideas (Title I)

Think of Title I as the venture capital side of the bill. It authorizes competitive grants for organizations—like non-profits, universities, or specialized providers—to create and test new learning models. These grants are tiered, which is a smart move: Early-Phase Grants fund the initial idea, Mid-Phase Grants fund serious evaluation of successful early projects, and Expansion Grants help scale up models that have proven they work. Crucially, the bill defines "evidence-based" (SEC. 3) using three tiers of rigor: strong, moderate, or promising evidence. While this flexibility is good for getting new ideas off the ground, it’s worth noting that the lowest tier, promising evidence from a "correlational study," isn't the gold standard of proof. The IES is prioritizing these early-stage grants, meaning we'll see a lot of investment in brand-new concepts.

Getting the Money to Your Local School (Title II)

Title II is about distribution. It creates formula grants that flow from the federal government to state education agencies (SEAs), which must then pass at least 95 percent of the funds down to local school districts (LEAs). The money is distributed using a formula based on the number of school-age kids and, importantly, the number of kids living in poverty, ensuring that schools with the greatest needs get a larger slice of the pie. For a local school district to get their share, they have to apply to the state and explain how they will use the funds to implement or expand these new teaching models.

The Fine Print: What it Means for Parents and Teachers

For parents, this bill means that your local school district will have dedicated, new money to try out better ways of teaching, especially if the current system isn't working for your student. For teachers and administrators, this funding is explicitly meant to add to—not replace—existing state and local budgets (SEC. 203). This means the money should be used for genuine innovation, not just filling budget gaps. The bill also includes a strong safeguard against federal overreach: it explicitly states that the federal government cannot mandate or coerce any state or local district into adopting a specific curriculum or instructional method (SEC. 202). This maintains local control over what's taught in the classroom.

Accountability and the Long Game

Transparency is a big part of this legislation. Both the organizations receiving research grants (Title I) and the states receiving formula grants (Title II) must submit annual reports detailing how they spent the money and, most importantly, what the results were for student academic growth (SEC. 103, SEC. 204). All this information must be made public, though strict privacy rules ensure no individual student data is ever shared. This means the public will have a clear line of sight into whether these new, expensive models are actually working. The funding authorization runs for a full decade, from 2026 through 2035 for Title I and 2027 through 2036 for Title II, signaling a serious, long-term commitment to evidence-based education reform.