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Schools are starting to get their first checks from the initial round of federal stimulus funding. What tripwires have they faced so far in securing and sustainably spending the money as the U.S. Department of Education suggests? How have school districts responded to the surge of funding for Title I, professional development, and IDEA? As educators prepare for the next wave of funding, what lessons can they draw from the past three months?

Twenty three questions and answers on how ARRA impacts Special Education and Early Intervention. \n

Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to 15 or more states in the coming months to solicit feedback from a broad group of stakeholders around federal education policy in anticipation of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The tour will gather input on the Obama administration's education agenda, including early childhood, higher standards, teacher quality, workforce development, and higher education.

This new document from the US Dept of Education outlines capital spending and teacher-quality reporting expectations, with more capital-spending flexibility of ARRA funds than initially expected. Lots of great Q & A's in here that help clarify program uses.

The first of $44 billion in economic-stimulus aid for education began flowing out to states last week-along with new teacher-quality reporting requirements for states and districts, and significantly more spending flexibility on school construction than many administrators had expected.

To save the school, he fired the entire staff and put a nonprofit group in charge. New principals and teachers were brought in to set the school on the right path. "Sometimes it takes a fresh start," says Don Feinstein, executive director of the Academy for Urban School Leadership, the nonprofit group that took over Howe in September and now runs a total of eight "turnaround" schools along with six teacher-training academies in the city.

This Broadband Stimulus Webinar is sponsored by Aperto, Wireless Connections and Edgenics. It is being hosted by the E Broadband Services Alliances (EBSALL), a non-for-profit alliance founded by the three companies to provide broadband services to under-served and un-served markets. This Webinar will provide valuable insights concerning: (1) opportunities for funding broadband initiatives under provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA); (2) WiMAX wireless technologies used to implement broadband networks with insights on the design, engineering, and planning of broadband networks; and (3) best practices for securing broadband funding.

The following provides national and state-by-state breakdowns of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has been budgeted for distribution by the U.S. Department of Education, based on estimates by the department.

More than $7 billion available to bring broadband access to underserved areas

We're supposed to have an economic "stimulus" plan to both stave off further economic decline and invest in key 21st century assets such as broadband and electronic medical records. In the 90-plus days since its approval, it is disarming how little of the stimulus money has been invested and how far the funding allocation dates have been pushed back. In the case of broadband networks, the original stated goal was to have as much as half the stimulus funds committed or spent by Sept. 30. Now the federal government's Web site, www.recovery.gov, lists the first award date as Dec. 31.

In a report released Tuesday, ABI says the government will spend $6.8 billion for "wireless communications upgrades and new deployments" over the next two years, thus providing "a significant one-off opportunity for wireless equipment vendors."

This funding will be distributed via grants, loans and loan guarantees for broadband infrastructure. At least 75% of areas to be served with these funds must be in a rural area without sufficient access to high speed broadband. \n

While the majority of schools have basic Internet access, it's often limited, slow and not capable of handling the technology applications our administrators and educators need to ensure our students are prepared for the 21st century workplace and life. As we continue to expand use of digital learning environments to deliver personal and adaptive experiences for our students, the need to ensure rich connectivity in and out of the classroom becomes paramount.

NTIA will have a total of $4,549,000,000 to award to grant recipients that will be available until September 30, 2010. Of the amount provided, NTIA will use about $3,749,000,000 for infrastructure-related grants; not less than $200,000,000 for competitive grants for expanding public computer center capacity; not less than $250,000,000 for competitive grants for innovative programs to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services; and up to $350,000,000 to develop and maintain a broadband inventory map

The Secondary School Innovation Fund Act would provide critical resources for innovative secondary school redesign to dramatically raise high school graduation rates and stem the flow of high school dropouts.

The $787 billion federal stimulus package includes $7.2 billion to help bring broadband Internet to more of America.

A joint paper from the Education Commission of the States and the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University identifies how states can use summer learning programs to maximize new federal funds while also increasing their chances of receiving additional federal funding through the Race to the Top awards program. (Jeff Smink and Mike Griffith, Education Commission of the States and National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, April 2009)...

Use these six resources to help your school, district, and community collaborate to wisely invest American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and stimulate teaching and learning.

Turning a school around may mean replacing its leadership or teaching staff, or converting it into a charter school, Duncan said today in a speech in Washington. Charter schools operate under contracts with school districts and are exempt from many state and local regulations that govern traditional public schools.

The Center for American Progress, along with our partners, has carefully crafted a policy definition of expanded learning time. Aimed at high-poverty, underperforming schools, expanded learning is the lengthening of the school day, school week, or school year for all students in a given school by at least 30 percent-the equivalent of roughly two hours per day or 360 hours per year. To be \neffective, the concept of expanded learning requires the complete redesign of a school's educational program in a way that combines academics with enrichment for a well-rounded student experience and that supports teachers by giving them more time for planning, training, and professional development. \n