February 2010
Schools and the Stimulus: A Midterm Report, Ed Week

July 13, 2009
Districts’ Spending of ARRA is Slow
The link above will take you to Education Week’s interactive stimulus spending map and a chart.

June 9, 2009
Ed Week article that provides a balanced perspective on ARRA funds available in districts.

June 8, 2009
Federal Education Stimulus June Update from the SIIA: Software & Information Industry Association

April 24, 2009
The US Department of Education has posted an important tool that will help with educators to plan and use their ARRA funds -- Using ARRA Funds to Drive School Reform and Improvement -- on the recovery web site at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/guidance/uses.doc.

Framing Questions for Decision Making from the US DOE

In considering how to best spend ARRA funds, decision makers should consider whether they can answer “yes” to these five questions:

1. Drive results for students? Will the proposed use of funds drive improved results for students, including students in poverty, students with disabilities, and English language learners?
   
   
2. Increase capacity? Will the proposed use of funds increase educators’ long-term capacity to improve results for students?
   
   
3. Accelerate reform? Will the proposed use of funds advance state, district, or school improvement plans and the reform goals encompassed in ARRA?
   
   
4. Avoid the cliff and improve productivity? Will the proposed use of funds avoid recurring costs that states, school systems, and schools are unprepared to assume when this funding ends? Given these economic times, will the proposed use serve as “bridge funding” to help transition to more effective and efficient approaches?
   
   
5. Foster continuous improvement? Will the proposed use of funds include approaches to measure and track implementation and results and create feedback loops to modify or discontinue strategies based on evidence?