ESSER Funds
Education news, analysis, and opinion about the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal pandemic relief funds
Everything You Need to Know About Schools and COVID Relief Funds
How much did your district get in pandemic emergency aid? When must the money be spent? Is there more on the way? EdWeek has the answers.
Student Well-Being
How Districts Can Keep After-School and Summer Learning Alive After ESSER Dries Up
Roughly 8 in 10 school districts spent some of their federal COVID relief funds on after-school or summer learning.
Student Well-Being
Districts Make Tutoring a Top Priority in After-School Programs Funded by COVID Relief Aid
Roughly 8 in 10 school districts spent part of their federal COVID relief funds on afterschool or summer learning.
Budget & Finance
Need More Time to Spend ESSER Funds? Contact Your State Now, Ed. Dept. Says
Many school officials have been seeking more time to spend the billions in one-time funds they received from federal COVID-relief packages.
Federal
Q&A
Miguel Cardona: There's No 'Magic Strategy' to Help Students Get Back on Track
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said he's focused on supporting schools on work they're already doing to help students achieve.
Federal
The Biden Administration Still Hasn't Defined Its K-12 Agenda. Why?
With achievement in math and reading hitting its lowest point in decades, some want to see more urgency from the Biden administration.
Budget & Finance
Tutoring Can Be Costly. Here's How to Make It Cost-Effective
As a federal funding cutoff looms, some districts are finding ways to make intensive tutoring sustainable.
Budget & Finance
District Leaders Want More Time to Spend ESSER Funds—and More Money, Too
On Capitol Hill, superintendents pointed to big wins fueled by federal relief aid, from extended learning time to mental health support.
Budget & Finance
Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Strategies for Closing the Funding Gap?
Answer 7 questions about school funding after ESSER.
Education Funding
Explainer
3 Steps to Keep Tutoring Going When ESSER Money Runs Out
Schools may lose more than $1,200 per student as enrollment falls and federal COVID relief funds expire next year.
Budget & Finance
School Districts Prepare for Major Staffing Cuts as ESSER Winds Down
More than half of district leaders said in a new survey that they may have to cut many of the staff they used COVID relief money to hire.
Budget & Finance
5 Signs a District Will Be at Risk When ESSER Runs Out
Two new resources are urging districts and states to be deliberate as they transition away from federal relief funds.
School & District Management
ESSER's End Could Lead Districts to Cut Administrators. 6 Key Questions to Consider First
Districts should be strategic with cuts to administrative positions, experts say, even with the coming end of federal COVID-relief aid.
Federal
Voters Don't Think ESSER Funds Have Improved Their Schools, Poll Finds
In response to a poll from Democrats for Education Reform, voters said schools have stayed the same or become worse following the pandemic.
Budget & Finance
Auditors Are on the Hunt for ESSER Fraud. 5 Things to Know
Districts in some cases have failed to follow regulations for documenting spending—but criminal fraud findings have been minimal.