Special Features and Updates
ED Releases “Best Practices” Guidance on Uses of Stimulus Funds for Title I, IDEA and RTI
Washington, Sept. 4 — The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released four new guidance documents offering "best practices" on the use of stimulus funds for Title I and two Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs.
ED Releases Proposed Instructions for School-by-School Salary Data Collection
Washington, Sept. 3 — The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released proposed instructions for states and districts to follow as they collect data on the aggregate salaries of staff at each of their schools under a push to beef up the Title I comparability provision.
New Ed-Tech Guidance Urges All-Competitive Subgrants, But Most States Will Continue Funding LEAs by Formula
Although the program law authorizes states to subgrant as much as half of their Title II, Part D educational technology allocations to districts by formula, new guidance urges states to dole out the entire $919 million in school year 2009-10 funds competitively.
The reason, according to the guidance issued in late July, is that the larger competitive grants can have a greater impact than smaller formula grants spread out among a state's many local education agencies (LEAs).
Analysis: ED Proposes Wider Eligibility, Narrower Focus for School Improvement Grants
Washington, Aug. 27 — Proposed guidelines for targeting $3.5 billion in Title I school improvement money would require participating states to give priority to districts that use radical interventions to transform their lowest performing schools — including, for the first time, middle and high schools that don’t receive Title I funds.
IDEA Stimulus Funds Create Options for LEAs; Early Intervention Services, Technology Top List
The extra $11.3 billion in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) stimulus dollars will provide local districts with unprecedented opportunities to improve instructional quality and integrate new technologies, say school leaders.
Not only does the near doubling of IDEA funding in the 2009-10 school year offer additional flexibility in offering coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) and meeting "maintenance-of-effort" requirements, but the new resources can help districts integrate research-based strategies and break down educational silos.
ED Seeks School-by-School Salary Data from Districts Under ARRA Comparability Provision
School districts will soon be asked to provide the aggregate salaries of staff at each of their schools under a push by Congress and the Obama administration to beef up the Title I comparability provision.
The longstanding provision requires Title I schools to receive a share of state and local funds that is "comparable" to non-Title I schools in the same district. The theory is that only if Title I funds are added to a level playing field can they have their intended effect of granting high-poverty schools additional assistance.
Innovation Grants to Reward Past Success, Ability to Scale
Washington, Aug. 21 — The largest grant awards from the $650 million Invest in Innovation competition will go toward school district and non-profit programs that show evidence of success and are capable of being replicated on a large scale, U.S. Department of Education (ED) officials said yesterday.
The formal framework for the competition, also known as the "i3" fund, has yet to be announced, but ED officials are releasing details early in order to give applicants time to prepare.
Registration Opens on ARRA Reporting Site
Registration for the mandatory stimulus reporting Web site opened this week in anticipation of the first required reports in October.
State and local governments, contractors, universities, non-profits and others that have received a grant, loan or contract of $25,000 or more under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 are required to register on the website, www.FederalReporting.gov. The site is a key element of the Obama administration's pledge of unprecedented transparency and public accountability for spending under the ARRA.
Deadline Extended: Impact Aid Funds School Repairs and Modernization
Washington, August 25 — Nearly $60 million in Impact Aid grants is now available to fund emergency school repairs — especially those that can be finished relatively quickly — under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Debate About Criteria Unfolds As the ‘Race’ to Reform Begins
In terms of ambition, the $4 billion Race to the Top competition lives up to the "moon shot" metaphor attached to it by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Its proposed requirements and selection criteria contain any number of provisions that, if adopted, could radically alter the K-12 landscape. Much of the attention has focused on the guidelines' linkage between student achievement and teacher evaluations, but the draft also asks for evidence that states have made education funding a priority, raised achievement and closed gaps, ensured the equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals, and turned around struggling schools.
