Building a Strong, Competitive 21st Century Economy
States now face a $91 billion shortfall in education funding – putting hundreds of thousands of jobs and the promise of a good education in jeopardy. Economists and scientists agree that strategic, targeted investments in education are needed to create jobs, give America’s children the skills they need to compete globally – and to put our economy back on the road to recovery.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests $105.9 billion in education and training to help build the world class education system our economy needs and our children deserve. The plan will:
States now face a $91 billion shortfall in education funding – putting hundreds of thousands of jobs and the promise of a good education in jeopardy. Economists and scientists agree that strategic, targeted investments in education are needed to create jobs, give America’s children the skills they need to compete globally – and to put our economy back on the road to recovery.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests $105.9 billion in education and training to help build the world class education system our economy needs and our children deserve. The plan will:
Prevent teacher layoffs and restore state cuts to education
Strengthen education resources for students in need
Make critical investments in early education for an additional 124,000 children
- Creates a $53.6 billion state stabilization fund to help prevent education-related layoffs, upgrade, repair and modernize schools and restore harmful cuts to education funding, including $39.5 billion for local school districts and public colleges and universities;
- Require states to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for funds, including:
- Maintain their FY06 education funding levels
- Address teacher distribution inequities to ensure every classroom has a qualified, effective teacher
- Establish a longitudinal data system to help teachers gauge students progress in real time and lay groundwork for use of growth models for accountability
- Develop more fair and better assessments for students to measure critical thinking, problem solving and other complex skills students will need in today’s world.
- Improve state educational standards for students
- Comply with school improvement provisions of current law
- Includes $5 billion for bonus grants to states for making progress in those key areas.
Strengthen education resources for students in need
- Provides $13 billion for Title I grants for high poverty schools, which includes $3 billion to provide extra help to struggling schools;
- Invests $12.2 billion to help schools maintain services for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Make critical investments in early education for an additional 124,000 children
- Provides $2.1 billion for Head Start, and Early Head Start, which provides comprehensive development services for low-income preschool children, infants and toddlers. This will expand early education opportunities for an additional 124,000 children and create 50,000 early education jobs;
- Studies have shown that Head Start is one of the best ways to improve child well-being, increase the educational achievement and future productivity of children, and reduce crime. Studies also show that $1 invested in early education yields up to $17 in returns.
