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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Finally, California can spend millions in federal dollars on something other than ineffective tutors - LA Times

Finally, California can spend millions in federal dollars on something other than ineffective tutors - LA Times:

Finally, California can spend millions in federal dollars on something other than ineffective tutors



 arting next year, California and seven other states will have more control over how they spend the millions of federal dollars tied to a questionable tutoring program.

Under the George W. Bush administration's No Child Left Behind law, schools that serve high concentrations of poor students and were rated as underperforming for several years were required to set aside money for tutoring, known as “supplemental education services.”
Between 2011 and 2014, California spent $507 million on these programs. But the California Department of Education routinely received complaints alleging that the tutoring companies provided little feedback on students’ academic progress, fabricated invoices and lied about enrollment and attendance information.
"We had very few criteria we could use to deny people who applied to do tutoring," recalled California Board of Education President Mike Kirst. "We couldn’t do any evaluation of their effectiveness."
States now will have more leeway in how to use that tutoring money, according to guidance the federal government sent last week.
The windfall in California will come out to about $233 million for the 2016-2017 school year — this year, the state spent $222 million on the tutoring programs, and $11 million on transportation to get students Finally, California can spend millions in federal dollars on something other than ineffective tutors - LA Times:
Big Education Ape: Flexibility in Spending $233 Million for Students - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education) http://bit.ly/1TydjUF