Monday, February 8, 2010

Education Week: Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point

Education Week: Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point


A year ago, the federal floodgates opened for aid to education, releasing a one-time surge of up to $100 billion in economic-stimulus money aimed at both stabilizing and transforming the nation’s public education system.
The results so far have been mixed, as weighed against the Obama administration’s twin goals for its unprecedented infusion of education funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
From the outset, the stimulus program’s education piece—among the largest elements of the $787 billion package intended to jump-start a recession-battered economy—was to serve both an economic and a school improvement purpose.
By pouring money into the coffers of states and districts already suffering from cuts to K-12 schooling, the ARRA aimed to stanch the fiscal bleeding and let them concentrate on the business of educating students. A year later, it’s clear that the stimulus package averted tens of thousands of teacher layoffs nationwide, and mitigated deep cuts to school programs.
Schools and the Stimulus:
A Midterm Report

Overview
Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point

The Impact So Far
Multiple Stimulus Aid Streams Flow to Ed Tech
Private Sector Competes for Share of Stimulus Pie
Spec. Ed., Title I Aid Casts Long Stimulus Shadow
Stimulus Reflects Push for Teacher Effectiveness
Schools Stuck at Bottom Target of $3 Billion Push
Aid Lets Hard-Hit State Keep Programs Aloft
Fiscal Stability Allows for Long View on Stimulus

The Road Ahead
As Education's Funding Cliff Nears, Anxieties Rise
Race to Top Sets Stage for ESEA Reauthorization

Web Extras
Live Webinar: Is the Stimulus Metting Its K-12 Goals?
Live Chat: Schools and the Stimulus: A Midterm Report
Interactive Map: Follow the Stimulus Money
Videos on the Stimulus