Like many I was both puzzled and troubled by the Obama Administration’s request of $500 million for the Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title IV block grant program, less than a third of the authorized maximum. Given the great variety of needs the program is intended to address and the complex, layered structure for allocating program funds, even a fully funded program would be challenged to make a real difference in many communities across the country.
While others debate the larger education budget strategy and request of the Obama Administration, I want to explicitly commend them for proposing smart structural changes to the program that could dramatically streamline Title IV operations and increase the odds of positive impact, including for educational technology investments. Given that this provision is buried among budget justification documents [PDF, see pp. C-81 to C-84) that are likely unfamiliar to many of my readers, allow me to reproduce it here in full:
Tags: Appropriations • Blog • budget • Congress • Essa • policy • U.S. Department of Education • White House