American Recovery & Reinvestment Act


a bar chart shows the top five areas that school districts have spent ESSER Funds on

As ESSER Spending Ramps Up, Experts Offer Tips to Make Sure Students Truly Benefit, Now and Later

The pace of K-12 school districts' spending of ESSER Funds has picked up significantly this school year, and education leaders and researchers have shared tips and guides to help district leaders efficiently evaluate — or re-evaluate — their options when making procurement decisions, to ensure students benefit and stakeholders don't come to see spending decisions as failures.

13 Predictions for K–12 and Technology in 2022

THE Journal reached out to district technology and IT leaders, school leaders and teachers to find out what they expect to see in the new year.

4 More States Get Approval for American Rescue Plan Funds, Receive $2.8 Billion

The United States Department of Education has approved school plans from four more states and delivered a total of $2.817 billion in remaining American Rescue Plan funds to those states.

Feds to Help Fund Schools Penalized for Mask Bans

School districts whose funds are being withheld by their states for implementing mask bans (or for other measures taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus) will see some relief from the federal government. A new grant program, announced Sept. 9 by the United States Department of Education (ED), is expected to open in the "coming weeks."

More Teachers Spending Out of Pocket on Basic Resources for Their Classrooms

More K–12 educators are spending their own money on classroom essentials like books and other learning materials, according to a new survey. At the same time, most are not being given a say in how American Rescue Plan funds are being allocated.

Grant Helps NJIT Bring Forensic Science to High School Students

A $1.4 million grant is helping New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) launch a STEM initiative that will expose high school students to forensic science as a pathway to higher education.

Education Funding

Report: COVID-19's Impact on School Funding

While it's much too soon to understand what impact COVID-19 will have on K–12 education, two researchers have looked at the potential outcomes.

How ESSA and Perkins V Can Support STEAM

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law in 2018 to provide funding for career and technical education (CTE) programs for young people and adults.

Indiana DoE Revamps Education Data Portal to Meet ESSA Requirements

Indiana DoE Revamps Education Data Portal to Meet ESSA Requirements

Indiana has launched an education data portal to replace a previous one. INview, which has replaced Compass, was designed to meet federal accountability requirements for transparency under the rules of the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan.