Addressing Inequity Through Investment In Educational Outcomes
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives in myriad ways, especially for our nation’s most disadvantaged children. For the first time, school systems were forced to adapt to a remote-learning model. In technologically advanced and affluent communities, the learning transition was smoother than for the nation’s rural, low-income, and under-resourced areas already experiencing teacher shortages and limited or no high-speed internet connectivity.
The educational impact of this learning shift for school-aged children has been well-documented, and the resulting proficiency statistics are alarming. Learning progress in reading has reversed and returned to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, comparing 2019 to 2022, the Nation’s Report Card from the National Center for Education Statistics cites consistent score declines across reading proficiency percentiles, with many reverting to 1992 levels.
Urgent action is required. Recognizing the national need to improve learning outcomes and sustain intellectual growth in young students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education launched The American Rescue Plan 2023, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. Within the first two weeks, more than $81 billion had been distributed to schools. Since its inception, $190 billion in ESSER awards have been made to K-12 school systems nationwide.
While this educational investment is unprecedented, the use of these funds carries a quickly approaching expiration date. By September, school systems must allocate and expend all carryover funds to program improvements or risk losing them — although the federal government recently announced that states can apply for limited extensions.
Still, the fiscal cliff is approaching for many states and school districts. To avert a tragic loss of educational opportunity and student enrichment, how can school systems facing this important deadline make the most impactful spending decisions for the benefit of their students?
As part of the Biden administration’s “Improving Student Achievement Agenda,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cordona has encouraged states and school districts to use federal ESSER funds for “high-dosage tutoring” to give students more support and time to succeed. The White House fact sheet on Jan. 17 touted the early success of such tutoring: “When implemented well, high-dosage tutoring can reduce burdens on teachers and complement other school-based activities such as building educator capacity through the use of math and literacy coaches, which research shows can improve student achievement, and professional development to support data-driven instruction.”
School administrators and policy leaders can use this moment to embrace their local school districts and guide them toward the most effective use of ESSER funds while they are still available for allocation. This period for fund availability should be carefully managed to evolve the spending policies and practices of school districts.
One smart investment is in high-dosage tutoring that can produce measurable and significant results. School systems can purchase tutoring sessions for students from certified vendors. While tutoring is an age-old concept, in this moment of ESSER funding it is also a powerful tool and initiative to address systemic discrimination in public education by offering person-to-person aid to those groups most affected by learning loss.
As we approach the 70th anniversary in May of the historic Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision, we reflect on the progress made and milestones yet to be achieved. In this landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional. Legalized racial segregation in schools was ended, nullifying the “separate but equal” principle of the Plessy v. Ferguson case from 1896.
Our current atmosphere of political aggression against public education includes an increasing diversion of public education dollars to private school vouchers, removal of classes on African American history, and state takeover of local school districts. These actions only exacerbate the cumulative effect of decades of inequitable policies related to the education of African American students.
Given the tremendous human resource needs of this nation in an ever-growing, technologically advanced society, we must continue fervent efforts to push back against attacks on public education and inequitable policies and move strategically toward practices that can improve outcomes for all students and strengthen the nation’s ability to remain globally competitive.
Although these ESSER dollars will eventually disappear, school districts should be mindful of steps to shift funds toward initiatives that capitalize on proven outcomes for long-term student success.
