Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Using Federal Education Formula Funds for School Turnaround Initiatives: Opportunities for State Education Agencies

  • 03/02/16

San Francisco — Much has been written on the subject of school turnaround, but relatively little about how to pay for turnaround-related work. This new publication, from the Center on School Turnaround, can help answer questions about funding sources and applications to turnaround work.

Turning around low-performing schools not only requires changing instructional and related practices, but changing spending patterns as well. Too often education dollars are spent on the same costs from year-to-year, with little scrutiny of how closely costs align to the needs of schools and students.

This handbook addresses how U.S. Department of Education (ED) formula grants, such as Title I, Title II, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), can be used to support school turnaround efforts. State education agencies (SEAs) play a critical role in helping districts and schools navigate federal grant rules and spend funds effectively.

This handbook presents four strategies SEAs can use to create the conditions for maximizing ED formula grants for turnaround activities, including:

Strategy 1: Provide Clear Guidance Aligned to Turnaround Activities.
Strategy 2: Eliminate Barriers to Full Use of School-wide Programs.
Strategy 3: Focus on Aligning Spending to Needs.
Strategy 4: Build Oversight Processes That Incentivize High-Quality Programming.

To download the handbook, go to www.schoolturnaroundsupport.org.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.