As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) takes effect, funding is now available to help decision makers at the school, district, and state levels make “improvements in teacher effectiveness and in the equitable distribution of qualified teachers for all students, particularly students who are most in need,” according to the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Education.
Approximately $100 billion is devoted to education programs to
• Help states address their budget deficits (education is one of the largest expenditures).
• Forestall teacher layoffs at the local level.
• Create activities that promote student achievement.
Moreover, the one-time nature of the stimulus funding, which has to be spent no later than September 2011, necessitates expenditures on activities that do not result in ongoing or recurring expenses beyond that date, after which districts would be solely responsible for the costs.
ASCD leaders considered the confluence of events—the recession, the new administration, and the passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—and decided to act themselves. As decision makers around the country face difficult choices about how best to serve their educators, students, and community, ASCD is here to help explain how you can use the funding in the stimulus package; how sustained, capacity-building professional development can improve student achievement in individual schools, districts, and states; and what resources are available to help educators along the way.
As a leader in professional development and best practices for the education community since 1943, ASCD provides effective, customized, capacity-building professional development to states, intermediate units, districts, schools, and other organizations, allowing them to use human and financial resources more effectively. ASCD is committed to providing the range of self-sustaining professional development services required to cultivate educators into local experts in specific instructional and leadership practices.
Consistent, coordinated planning will ensure that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged; ASCD leaders believe this emphasis on the whole child is imperative to student achievement and even more critical in times of economic stress.
ASCD will continue to provide information, support, and resources as educators traverse these uncertain times; visit www.ascd.org/ARRAresources for updates.
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