To support effective instruction and decrease achievement gaps in states and districts over $2 billion per year is provided through the Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Westat recently completed the latest in a series of annual reports, State and District Use of Title II, Part A Funds in 2021-22 (PDF), to summarize state and district funding priorities in this area. Co-authors of the report at Westat are Ann Webber, MPP, Principal Research Associate, Roberta Garrison-Mogren, MA, Principal Research Associate, and Valerie Orellana, MEd, Lead Research Associate.
Overall, the use of funds by states and districts was similar to previous years.
- States were more likely to fund professional development in 2021–22 compared to the previous year, representing 22% of overall spending on state-level activities.
- The largest use of district Title II-A funds was for professional development (55% of spending), a smaller share than the previous year.
- Title II-A also supported district efforts to recruit and retain effective educators (18% of spending) and to reduce class size (14% of spending).
- Nearly 2/3 of all districts (63%) reported examining the distribution of teacher quality or effectiveness across their schools for low-income students. Only 15% of districts reported using Title II-A funds specifically to improve the distribution of effective educators.
