How is Joe Biden going to make the kids smarter? A whole bunch of ways!
Biden-Harris Administration Announces “Improving Student Achievement” Agenda in 2024
What are they hoping to do specifically?
The Administration is urging states, districts, and schools to adopt three strategies that work to increase effective time on task, based on the evidence:
- Increasing attendance
- Providing high-dosage tutoring
- Increasing summer learning and extended or afterschool learning time
How, you ask?
Using data and school improvement requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Department of Education will work with states to improve school performance by:
- Conducting additional monitoring so that states more effectively implement evidence-based responses to challenges.
- Tracking progress in closing pandemic gaps.
- Asking educators, researchers, policymakers, community-based organizations, and others to share evidence-based strategies and resources by submitting them to the Department’s Best Practices Clearinghouse.
- Providing technical assistance to states on academic achievement through the Department’s Comprehensive Centers, Regional Education Labs, and other partners.
- Enabling states to continue spending pandemic relief funds on academic achievement into the 2024-25 school year and directing resources to support stronger outcomes.
- Using grant programs to support the student achievement agenda.
The Administration also got commitments for help from philanthropic and national organizations — such as:
- Afterschool Alliance
- Attendance Works
- AT&T
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
- National PTA
- National Summer Learning Association
- Overdeck Family Foundation
- Parent Teacher Home Visits
- Wallace Foundation
- YMCA
- Zearn
And this follows up on already historic investments in public school by Biden, including:
- Securing $130 billion for the largest-ever investment in public education in history through direct State and district funding in the American Rescue Plan.
- Increased funding and targeting of federal grants to better support academic recovery, including:
- $90 million in new awards in 2023 to strengthen math, literacy, and science instruction through the Education Innovation and Research program;
- An additional $120 million in Full-Service Community Schools grants since coming into office to improve students’ mental health and well-being and their academic success
- $48 million in 2023 in new funding for evidence-based literacy interventions through the Comprehensive Literacy State Development grants and Innovative Approaches to Literacy grants
- More than $1 billion each year in funding for extended-day programming and enriching afterschool programming through 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- More than $2 billion in funding for school-based mental health professionals and services, including through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
- $18.4 billion for Title I ($1.9 billion more than when the Administration took office) to help schools in low-income communities provide their students with the academic opportunities and support they need to succeed
- $14.2 billion for IDEA State Grants ($1.3 billion more than when the Administration took office) to provide special education services to over
7 million students with disabilities and support their academic success
Finally, through the Engage Every Student Initiative, nearly 500 entities — from state networks and school districts to cities and community-based organizations — have made a commitment to expand access to afterschool and summer learning programs for all students.
Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden did more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected.
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