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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.

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