Monday, March 7, 2011

Policy Guidance from DOE on Flexible Use of ESEA Funds

Department of Education Secretary Arnold Duncan released a policy letter to state governors highlighting three resources that provide guidance on existing flexibility with Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds and recommendations for effectively leveraging funds to improve student outcomes.


The first document, Flexibility in Using Federal Funds to Meet Local Needs, outlines existing flexibility that SEAs and LEAs have to transferring ESEA funds between programs, including transferring funds among certain programs, combining funds in small rural districts,consolidating administrative funds at the state and district levels, and consolidating federal, state and local education funds to support reforms in high poverty schools.

The second document, Smart Ideas to Increase Educational Productivity and Student Achievement outlines DOE’s recommended principles and policies for improving student achievement that states and school districts should consider. This document includes some best practices at the state level.

Lastly, Advancing Student Achievement through Labor-Management Collaboration is based on an event DOE held on Feb 15 with 150 school districts and 40 states to discuss how to prioritize student achievement in labor-management negotiations and relationships. The document highlights some school district best practices.

The letter and the documents can be accessed here.

No comments:

Post a Comment