Focus Areas
Magnet Schools Assistance Program Grants
The Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) is a federal program that offers grants to local educational agencies to create new magnet programs or significantly revise existing ones. MSAP grants aim to promote diversity and equity by reducing minority group isolation in schools, enhancing student achievement, and building schools’ capacity for sustainable programs through professional development and planning. The grants help build teacher capacity to implement innovative, effective teaching practices designed to meet the needs of and foster interactions between diverse student groups.
Metis has been part of the magnet school movement since 1988, starting with our first federal MSAP grant writing engagement for Community School District 1 in New York City. Since then, we’ve partnered on MSAP grants with more than 35 districts across 10 states and in almost every region of the country. At the heart of our purpose is to help districts build an ecosystem of diverse-by-design schools that leverage the lived experiences of all students to become not only desegregated, but truly integrated.
Our MSAP Grant Services
The federal government’s expectations for MSAP grants are comprehensive, complex, and far-ranging, covering many aspects of a district and individual school operations. Our continuum of services guides you through every federal requirement and every step of your proposal so that you can move seamlessly from grant award to achieving your program’s vision.
Grant writing
We stay up-to-the minute on best practices for this funding source and support the collaborative process of writing a successful grant from program design. We help you navigate the technical aspects of the MSAP grant, including the enrollment projections, desegregation plan, supplemental materials, and letters of support.
Impact evaluation
We identify interventions that could be the focus of the grant requirement to produce “promising evidence” and design and implement rigorous impact studies so you can make evidence-based improvements.
Program evaluation
We conduct local formative evaluation of the grant to support your program implementation and enhancement processes, and we help ensure that you’re meeting the federal reporting requirements for assessing summative outcomes or performance measures. We take a highly collaborative approach to engage you and your stakeholders in discussing the data—and maintain a constant feedback loop to develop data literacy for everyone involved.
Our MSAP Grant Expertise
Our MSAP grant consulting expertise includes the following areas:
- Facilitating stakeholder buy in and investment by elevating the voice of parents, students and teachers
- Navigating the eligibility and desegregation plan requirements of the MSAP grant
- Evaluating teaching practices and student learning with the goal of fostering interactions between diverse student groups
- Supporting the district and program staff in adhering to the civil rights requirements of their programs
Organizations We Work With
Metis is proud to work with school districts all over the country in building ecosystems of integrated schools and accelerating their progress toward their equity and diversity goals.
What Our MSAP Grant Clients Say
“Our school district has had the privilege of working with Metis Associates as recipients of the MSAP grant. Their logo speaks to their work: “Partners for meaningful change.” They reflect just that! They are partners who walk alongside their clients, providing great insight and direction to ensure that the highest level of success is achieved and meaningful change occurs.”
Jane Whitaker
Former Magnet School Coordinator
St. Lucie Public Schools
“Team Metis, you are known as the best in the business for a reason. Your input, supports, and expertise were invaluable in this process. I feel very confident in our chances and am excited for the possibilities ahead.”
Jon Wren
Strategic Implementation & Policy
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Ready to make an impact?
Learn how we can support your MSAP grants.
Our Approach to MSAP Grants
Feasibility
We first conduct a feasibility study to determine if your district is ready to pursue an MSAP grant, holding conversations about the commitment to promote equity required to take on an MSAP grant at both the district and school levels. We also do a deep dive into the data at the community, district, and school levels to support the development of an effective grant strategy.
Planning
We provide thought partnership through the entire planning process, from selecting the right schools to be “magnetized” by the grant to identifying achievable outcomes. We help you choose unique themes and think through how those themes could come to life through professional development, partnership development, and community engagement.
Grant strategy
We can provide MSAP grant writing services from soup to nuts, or high level technical assistance with intensive coaching, reviewing, editing, and strategic support to ensure the MSAP application is aligned with the funder’s expectations and the district’s mission and vision.
Evaluation
We also offer the opportunity to continue working with us in an evaluation capacity. Our evaluators are steeped in MSAP grant evaluation needs, federal reporting requirements, and best practices for magnet programs.
Why Partner With Metis Associates
Demonstrated track record
In 35 years, in over 26 districts, we have helped develop magnet school programs in support of court-ordered and voluntary desegregation plans. We’ve raised well above $432 million in government grant funding to support these plans. In the last three funding cycles of the MSAP alone, Metis provided grant writing support for over a third of the grants that were funded nationwide.
School integration supporters
Over our 35 years working on MSAP grants, we have dedicated tens of thousands of hours to thinking about how to design magnet schools and assess their impact on school integration and equitable access to rigorous and innovative learning for all students. We believe the school integration challenge is central to improving public education for all students.
Magnet design experts
We want every magnet school to have a waiting list, not because it’s selective, but because it offers an incredible program with a strong pull across the community. Our consultant team has deep knowledge of magnet schools funded by the MSAP and decades of experience working with all stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
Our MSAP Grant Consultants
Claire Aulicino
Claire leads Metis’s work for school districts and other organizations pursuing equitable and integrated learning environments. A significant component of her work since 2001, Claire directs the evaluation of magnet and other special academic and choice programs specifically designed to foster racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic integration within public schools. She has evaluated more than 30 MSAP grants over the past nine funding cycles, working with 24 districts across nine states.
Marilyn Zlotnik
Marilyn has over three decades of experience as a program development specialist and grant writer, directing these activities at Metis since 1994. She is expert in facilitating planning meetings with key magnet stakeholders to assess needs and collaborate on the design of magnet themes and programs that reflect research- and evidence-based practices. She incorporates this information into highly competitive proposal narratives that are fully aligned with MSAP grant criteria.
Get guidance at every step.
Service your program from vision to results with seasoned consultants who know MSAP grants inside and out.
Our MSAP Grant Case Studies
Broward County Public Schools
Broward County Public Schools has received four consecutive grants from the federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) to develop innovative magnet programs focused on STEM and career academies across grades K-12. They engaged Metis to provide grant writing technical assistance and to serve as the external evaluator.
New York City Public Schools
To combat trends of increasing racial and economic isolation of students in its schools, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has turned to magnet schools as a mechanism to promote choice for students and families, providing opportunities for them to pursue school options outside of their neighborhoods which are often as segregated as the schools. Our close relationship with the NYC magnet staff and schools over the past 30 years has allowed us to become trusted advisors.
Case Study: Tackling School Segregation in the Nation’s Largest City
Frequently Asked Questions: MSAP
The Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) is a federal program that offers grants to local educational agencies to create new magnet programs or significantly revise existing ones. MSAP grants aim to promote diversity and equity by reducing “minority group isolation” in schools through the design and implementation of targeted outreach and marketing strategies, enhancing student achievement, and building schools’ capacity for sustainable programs through professional development and planning.
Many individuals and organizations have a stake in the success of your district and your magnet schools. Engage in conversation with the business and industry leaders in your community and ask what they are looking for in your school system graduates. Survey parents about what themes they might be interested in for their children or what it would take to bring them back into the school system if they’ve left for private or charter schools. If considering high school programs, survey students about their interests. And work with district administrators to gain a deep understanding of how MSAP aligns with district vision and initiatives and which schools could most benefit from the program.
Writing an MSAP proposal is a significant undertaking for a local educational agency. In our experience, districts interested in this funding source have a greater potential for success if they follow these tips:
- Understand what MSAP is and is not before diving in
- Do your research
- Leave sufficient time for planning, strategy, and program development
- Seek technical advice and support if district capacity is insufficient to support a winning application