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)...

This is an analysis of economic stimulus funding for education, provided by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). Federal stimulus dollars have begun flowing to the state. But LEAs are still a few weeks away from getting them in their hands. LEAs will begin receiving these funds in May. There are three primary one-time funding sources in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF).

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 following five reforms can help states and school districts to implement innovative initiatives as they allocate their stimulus dollars across 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

The Center for American Progress has identified more than 300 initiatives in high-poverty, high-minority schools, among them many charter schools, that have significantly expanded learning time. The stimulus funds provide an opportunity to scale up these practices.

Access this archive of the April 27th ASCD webinar to learn how the $100 billion of stimulus funds devoted to education programs can be used for school improvement activities, including professional development.

The U.S. Congress has appropriated $4.7 billion to establish a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for awards to eligible entities to develop and expand broadband services to unserved and underserved areas and improve access to broadband by public safety agencies. Of these funds, $250 million will be available for innovative programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services; at least $200 million will be available to upgrade technology and capacity at public computing centers, including community colleges and public libraries; $10 million will be a transfer to the Office of Inspector General for the purposes of BTOP audits and oversight. Up to $350 million of the BTOP funding is designated for the development and maintenance of statewide broadband inventory maps.

On Friday, February 27, 2009, Dr. Joseph Conaty, Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, delivered an informative web conference reviewing elements of the new federal stimulus package. Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation and Teachscape, Dr. Conaty was interviewed by Tony Bryk and Mark Atkinson, presidents of their respective organizations. The bulk of the presentation was questions from attendees, presented by the two co-hosts and is archived here.

The Department of Education's $5 billion in "Race to the Top" and innovation funds provides a historic opportunity to reward states, school districts, and entrepreneurs doing good work for kids. Much of the funding, $4.35 billion, will go to states that can document successful implementation of NCLB's provisions-achieving equitable distribution of quality teachers, improving collection and use of data, implementing quality standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools. The rest, $650 million, is reserved for school districts and nonprofits implementing proven reform strategies.

Provides assistance to States and localities for the implementation and support of a comprehensive system that effectively uses technology in elementary schools and secondary schools to improve student academic achievement.

Article on School Reform by Arne Duncan for the Wall Street Journal.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE) is a federal requirement that requires grant recipients and /or sub-recipients to maintain a certain level of state/local fiscal effort to be eligible for full participation in federal grant funding. Grant recipients or sub-recipients not meeting MOE requirements face loss of a portion of their federal funds.

Details related to assessing the EETT Program

Increasingly, districts achieving significant gains in student performance cite longitudinal data systems -- systems that gather and track student data over time -- as their key to success. For these districts, easy access to accurate, real-time, frequently gathered data enables them to inform collaborative planning, differentiate instruction and drive improvement.\n\nAt this webinar, you'll hear first-hand from district leaders and education technology innovators including Pam Moran, Superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, Kim Davis, Executive Director, Instructional Technology, Wichita Public Schools, and Luyen Chou, Chief Product Officer at Schoolnet, the data-driven education solution provider.

10 page document detailing funds available to promote the use of data statewide. $250 Million for State Longitudinal Data Systems. $48.6 billion to improve the collection and use of longtitudinal data. Phase II: Changing the Culture around data use and maximizing states' investments in longitudinal data systems.

The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program provides grants to State Education Agencies to enable them to design, develop, and implement statewide, longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate and use individual student data. As provided for under ARRA, funding provided under this competition is to be used for Statewide data systems that, in addition to K-12 data, also include postsecondary and workforce information

Missouri State EETT Competitive Grant program.