ESSER Funds

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal pandemic relief funds

Explainer

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.
Illustration of falling or declining money with a frustrated man in a suit standing on the edge of a cliff the shape of an arrow dollar sign.
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Education Funding ESSER Is Ending. Which Investments Accomplished the Most?
Districts have until Sept. 30 to commit their last round of federal COVID aid to particular expenses.
Mark Lieberman, September 24, 2024
11 min read
Baltimore City School students harvest cucumbers to make pickles with during a week at Great Kids Farm and Forest Camp on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Catonsville, MD.
Students from the Baltimore City schools harvest cucumbers to make pickles during a week at Great Kids Farm and Forest Camp on July 25, 2023, in Catonsville, Md.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Student Well-Being Can Schools Meet the Demand for Summer Learning as Funding Runs Out?
A Gallup report found that 45 percent of kids didn't attend a summer learning program in 2023.
Lauraine Langreo, July 26, 2024
3 min read
Alaysia Kimble, 9, laughs with fellow students while trying on a firefighter’s hat and jacket at Estabrook Elementary during the Grizzle Learning Camp on June, 26, 2024 in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Alaysia Kimble, 9, laughs with fellow students while trying on a firefighter’s hat and jacket at Estabrook Elementary during the Grizzly Learning Camp on June, 26, 2024 in Ypsilanti, Mich. The district, with 70 percent of its students coming from low-income backgrounds, is struggling with how to continue funding the popular summer program after ESSER funds dry up.
Sylvia Jarrus for Education Week
Education Funding Inside a Summer Learning Camp With an Uncertain Future After ESSER
A high-poverty district offers an enriching, free summer learning program. But the end of ESSER means tough choices.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 2, 2024
5 min read
Illustration of two groups of professionals fighting in a tug of war with a dollar.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Teacher Layoffs on the Horizon: As ESSER Expires, Districts Face Tough Calls
The Great Recession offers some insight into how staff reductions might play out as ESSER funds expire.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 27, 2024
4 min read
Conceptual image of cut out arrows up and down with money peaking through and a blue background of student hand working with pen and notebook.
Liz Yap/Education Week with iStock/Getty
Student Achievement What the Research Says What the Historic Infusion of Federal Pandemic Aid Did for Schools
Two new analyses of student-achievement data finds some benefits—but also deep inequities—for districts receiving federal recovery money.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 26, 2024
6 min read
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iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance 3 Ways Districts Can Prepare for Financial Woes to Come
ESSER dollars are expiring soon, leaving districts to get creative with resources in future years.
Mark Lieberman, June 4, 2024
4 min read
Photo illustration of school building and piggy bank.
F. Sheehan for Education Week + iStock / Getty Images Plus
Education Funding What New School Spending Data Show About a Coming Fiscal Cliff
New data show just what COVID-relief funds did to overall school spending—and the size of the hole they might leave in school budgets.
Mark Lieberman, May 7, 2024
4 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during Education Week’s 2024 Leadership Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., on May 2, 2024.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during Education Week’s 2024 Leadership Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., on May 2, 2024.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Federal Arming Teachers Could Cause 'Accidents and More Tragedy,' Miguel Cardona Says
"This is not in my opinion a smart option,” the education secretary said at an EdWeek event.
Mark Lieberman, May 2, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of woman turning back hands on clock.
Education Week + iStock / Getty Images Plus Week
Education Funding Explainer How Can Districts Get More Time to Spend ESSER Dollars? An Explainer
Districts can get up to 14 additional months to spend ESSER dollars on contracts—if their state and the federal government both approve.
Mark Lieberman, April 11, 2024
4 min read
Image of people interacting and discussing data.
Courtesy of Allovue
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Costs, Concerns, & Calls for Clarity in K-12 Finance
The second annual Allovue Education Finance Survey examines educators' views about school funding.
Holly Kurtz, April 10, 2024
3 min read
Budget & Finance Whitepaper Costs, Concerns, & Calls for Clarity in K-12 Finance
The results of Allovue’s second annual Education Finance Survey suggest that educators are growing more concerned about their districts’ ...
April 10, 2024
Hourglass and Benjamin Franklin portrait on one hundred dollar bill.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Budget & Finance Spending ESSER Funds Will Come Down to the Wire for Some Districts. Here's Why
Schools have until September to commit federal relief dollars. In some cases, spending every last penny could be tricky.
Mark Lieberman, April 5, 2024
7 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman's hand holding a slowly vanishing dollar sign.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding ESSER Isn't the Only School Funding Relief That's Disappearing Soon
Federal relief aid, policies to prevent schools from losing enrollment-based funding, and support for vulnerable families are expiring soon.
Mark Lieberman & Lauraine Langreo, February 13, 2024
10 min read
Black female teacher or tutor explaining something to a Black male high school student.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being Counselor-to-Student Ratios Show Improvement, But Looming Fiscal Cliff May Threaten Gains
School counselor ratios have improved, but advocates warn schools could lose mental health resources as pandemic-relief dollars dissipate.
Alyson Klein, February 12, 2024
3 min read