U . S . D E P A R T M E N T O F E D U C A T I O N

A Blueprint for Reform

Accelerate achievement

The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

equity and opportunity

college- and career-ready students

great teachers and leaders

raise the bar and reward excellence

promote innovation
Blank.
A Blueprint for Reform

The Reauthorization of the

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

United States Department of Education

March 2010
U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary of Education

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Carmel Martin

Assistant Secretary

March 2010

This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in 

part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation 

should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development, ESEA Blueprint for Reform, Washington, D.C., 2010. 

To obtain copies of this report:

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On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print 

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Center at 202-260-0852 or 202-260-0818.
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Every child in America deserves a world-class education.

Today, more than ever, a world-class education is a prerequisite for success. America 

was once the best educated nation in the world. A generation ago, we led all nations in 

college completion, but today, 10 countries have passed us. It is not that their students are 

smarter than ours. It is that these countries are being smarter about how to educate their 

students. And the countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow.

We must do better. Together, we must achieve a new goal, that by 2020, the United States 

will once again lead the world in college completion. We must raise the expectations for 

our students, for our schools, and for ourselves – this must be a national priority. We 

must ensure that every student graduates from high school well prepared for college and a 

career.

A world-class education is also a moral imperative – the key to securing a more equal, 

fair, and just society. We will not remain true to our highest ideals unless we do a far 

better job of educating each one of our sons and daughters. We will not be able to keep 

the American promise of equal opportunity if we fail to provide a world-class education 

to every child. 

This effort will require the skills and talents of many, but especially our nation’s teachers, 

principals, and other school leaders. Our goal must be to have a great teacher in every 

classroom and a great principal in every school. We know that from the moment students 

enter a school, the most important factor in their success is not the color of their skin or 

the income of their parents – it is the teacher standing at the front of the classroom. To 

ensure the success of our children, we must do better to recruit, develop, support, retain, 

and reward outstanding teachers in America’s classrooms.

Reforming our schools to deliver a world-class education is a shared responsibility – the 

task cannot be shouldered by our nation’s teachers and principals alone. We must foster 

school environments where teachers have the time to collaborate, the opportunities to 

lead, and the respect that all professionals deserve. We must recognize the importance 

of communities and families in supporting their children’s education, because a parent 

is a child’s first teacher. We must support families, communities, and schools working in 

partnership to deliver services and supports that address the full range of student needs.

President Barack Obama
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This effort will also require our best thinking and resources – to support innovative 

approaches to teaching and learning; to bring lasting change to our lowest-performing 

schools; and to investigate and evaluate what works and what can work better in 

America’s schools. Instead of labeling failures, we will reward success. Instead of a single 

snapshot, we will recognize progress and growth. And instead of investing in the status 

quo, we must reform our schools to accelerate student achievement, close achievement 

gaps, inspire our children to excel, and turn around those schools that for too many young 

Americans aren’t providing them with the education they need to succeed in college and a 

career.

My Administration’s blueprint for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act is not only a plan to renovate a flawed law, but also an outline for a reenvisioned federal role in education. This is a framework to guide our deliberations and 

shared work – with parents, students, educators, business and community leaders, elected 

officials, and other partners – to strengthen America’s public education system.

I look forward to working with the Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act so that it will help to provide America’s students with the worldclass education they need and deserve.
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This blueprint builds on the significant reforms already made in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 around four areas: (1) 

Improving teacher and principal effectiveness to ensure that every classroom has a great 

teacher and every school has a great leader; (2) Providing information to families to 

help them evaluate and improve their children’s schools, and to educators to help them 

improve their students’ learning; (3) Implementing college- and career-ready standards 

and developing improved assessments aligned with those standards; and (4) Improving 

student learning and achievement in America’s lowest-performing schools by providing 

intensive support and effective interventions. 

Incorporating and extending this framework, this blueprint for a re-envisioned federal 

role builds on these key priorities:

(1) College- and Career-Ready Students

Raising standards for all students. We will set a clear goal: Every student should 

graduate from high school ready for college and a career, regardless of their income, 

race, ethnic or language background, or disability status. Following the lead of the 

nation’s governors, we’re calling on all states to develop and adopt standards in English 

language arts and mathematics that build toward college- and career-readiness by the 

time students graduate from high school. States may choose to upgrade their existing 

standards or work together with other states to develop and adopt common, statedeveloped standards. 

Better assessments. We will support the development and use of a new generation of 

assessments that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards, to better determine 

Priorities in a Blueprint for Reform

Priorities in a 

Blueprint for Reform
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whether students have acquired the skills they need for success. New assessment systems 

will better capture higher-order skills, provide more accurate measures of student growth, 

and better inform classroom instruction to respond to academic needs. 

A complete education. Students need a well-rounded education to contribute as citizens 

in our democracy and to thrive in a global economy – from literacy to mathematics, 

science, and technology to history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, financial literacy, 

and other subjects. We will support states, districts, school leaders, and teachers in 

implementing a more complete education through improved professional development 

and evidence-based instructional models and supports. 

(2) Great Teachers and Leaders in Every School 

Effective teachers and principals. We will elevate the teaching profession to focus on 

recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding excellence. We are calling on states and districts 

to develop and implement systems of teacher and principal evaluation and support, and 

to identify effective and highly effective teachers and principals on the basis of student 

growth and other factors. These systems will inform professional development and 

help teachers and principals improve student learning. In addition, a new program will 

support ambitious efforts to recruit, place, reward, retain, and promote effective teachers 

and principals and enhance the profession of teaching. 
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Our best teachers and leaders where they are needed most. Our proposal will 

provide funds to states and districts to develop and support effective teachers and leaders, 

with a focus on improving the effectiveness of teachers and leaders in high-need schools. 

We will call on states and districts to track equitable access to effective teachers and 

principals, and where needed, take steps to improve access to effective educators for 

students in high-poverty, high-minority schools.

Strengthening teacher and leader preparation and recruitment. We need more 

effective pathways and practices for preparing, placing, and supporting beginning teachers 

and principals in high-need schools. States will monitor the effectiveness of their traditional 

and alternative preparation programs, and we will invest in programs whose graduates are 

succeeding in the classroom, based on student growth and other factors. 

(3) Equity and Opportunity for All Students

Rigorous and fair accountability for all levels. All students will be included in 

an accountability system that builds on college- and career-ready standards, rewards 

progress and success, and requires rigorous interventions in the lowest-performing 

schools. We will celebrate the Reward states, districts, and schools that do the most to 

improve outcomes for their students and to close achievement gaps, as well as those who 

are on the path to have all students graduating or on track to graduate ready for college 

and a career by 2020. All schools will be aiming to do their part to help us reach that 

ambitious goal, and for most schools, leaders at the state, district, and school level will 

enjoy broad flexibility to determine how to get there.

But in the lowest-performing schools that have not made progress over time, we will ask 

for dramatic change. To ensure that responsibility for improving student outcomes no 

longer falls solely at the door of schools, we will also promote accountability for states and 

districts that are not providing their schools, principals, and teachers with the support 

they need to succeed. 

Meeting the needs of diverse learners. Schools must support all students, including 

by providing appropriate instruction and access to a challenging curriculum along with 

additional supports and attention where needed. From English Learners and students 

with disabilities to Native American students, homeless students, migrant students, rural 

students, and neglected or delinquent students, our proposal will continue to support and 

strengthen programs for these students and ensure that schools are helping them meet 

college- and career-ready standards.

Greater equity. To give every student a fair chance to succeed, and give principals and 

teachers the resources to support student success, we will call on school districts and 

states to take steps to ensure equity, by such means as moving toward comparability in 

resources between high- and low-poverty schools. 
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(4) Raise the Bar and Reward Excellence

Fostering a Race to the Top. Race to the Top has provided incentives for excellence by 

encouraging state and local leaders to work together on ambitious reforms, make tough 

choices, and develop comprehensive plans that change policies and practices to improve 

outcomes for students. We will continue Race to the Top’s incentives for systemic reforms 

at the state level and expand the program to school districts that are willing to take on 

bold, comprehensive reforms.

Supporting effective public school choice. We will support the expansion of highperforming public charter schools and other autonomous public schools, and support 

local communities as they expand public school choice options for students within and 

across school districts.

Promoting a culture of college readiness and success. Access to a challenging high 

school curriculum has a greater impact on whether a student will earn a 4-year college 

degree than his or her high school test scores, class rank, or grades. We will increase 

access to college-level, dual credit, and other accelerated courses in high-need schools and 

support college-going strategies and models that will help students succeed. 

(5) Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvement 

Fostering innovation and accelerating success. The Investing in Innovation Fund 

will support local and nonprofit leaders as they develop and scale up programs that have 

demonstrated success, and discover the next generation of innovative solutions. 

Supporting, recognizing, and rewarding local innovations. Our proposal will 

encourage and support local innovation by creating fewer, larger, more flexible funding 

streams around areas integral to student success, giving states and districts flexibility to 

focus on local needs. New competitive funding streams will provide greater flexibility, 

reward results, and ensure that federal funds are used wisely. At the same time, districts 

will have fewer restrictions on blending funds from different categories with less red tape. 

Supporting student success. Tackling persistent achievement gaps requires public 

agencies, community organizations, and families to share responsibility for improving 

outcomes for students. We will prioritize programs that include a comprehensive redesign 

of the school day, week, or year, that promote schools as the center of their communities, 

or that partner with community organizations. Our proposal will invest in new models 

that keep students safe, supported, and healthy both in and out of school, and that support 

strategies to better engage families and community members in their children’s education.
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A New Approach

▶ Supporting college- and career-ready standards, preparing college- and 

career-ready students.

▶ Rewarding progress and success.

▶ Turning around the lowest-performing schools.

College- and Career-Ready Students

The goal for America’s educational system is clear: Every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a career. Every student should have 

meaningful opportunities to choose from upon graduation from high school. But while 

all states have developed and implemented standards as required under the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), in many cases these standards do not reflect the 

knowledge and skills needed for success after high school, either in further education 

or in a job. Four of every 10 new college students, including half of those at 2-year 

institutions, take remedial courses, and many employers comment on the inadequate 

preparation of high school graduates. And while states have developed assessments 

aligned with their standards, in many cases these assessments do not adequately measure 

student growth or the knowledge and skills that students need, nor do they provide 

timely, useful information to teachers. We must follow the lead of the nation’s governors 

and challenge students with state-developed, college- and career-ready standards, and 

more accurately measure what they are learning with better assessments. We must reward 

the success of schools that are making significant progress, ask for dramatic change in the 

lowest-performing schools, and address persistent gaps in student academic achievement 

and graduation rates.

College - and Career- Ready Students
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COLLEGE- AND CAREER-READY STUDENTS

Our proposal will maintain formula grants to high-poverty school districts, while making 

significant changes to better support states, districts, and schools, including middle and 

high schools, in improving achievement for all groups of students, including low-income 

and minority students, English Learners, and students with disabilities. 

Rigorous College- and Career-Ready Standards. Following the lead of the nation’s 

governors and state education leaders, we’re calling on all states to adopt state-developed 

standards in English language arts and mathematics that build toward college- and 

career-readiness by the time students graduate from high school, and high-quality 

statewide assessments aligned with these standards. States may either choose to upgrade 

their existing standards, working with their 4-year public university system to certify that 

mastery of the standards ensures that a student will not need to take remedial coursework 

upon admission to a postsecondary institution in the system; or work with other states 

to create state-developed common standards that build toward college- and careerreadiness. To ensure that all students are learning what they need to succeed, standards 

must be based on evidence regarding what students must know and be able to do at each 

grade level to be on track to graduate from high school college- and career-ready. Such 

standards will also give families and communities the information they need to determine 

whether their students are on track to college- and career-readiness and to evaluate their 

schools’ effectiveness. States will continue to implement statewide science standards and 

aligned assessments in specific gradespans, and may include such assessments – as well as 

statewide assessments in other subjects, such as history – in their accountability system. 

Finally, states will develop and adopt statewide English language proficiency standards for 

English Learners, aligned so that they reflect the academic language necessary to master 

the state’s content standards.

Rigorous and Fair Accountability and Support at Every Level. Building on these 

statewide standards and aligned assessments, every state will ensure that its statewide 

system of accountability rewards schools and districts for progress and success, requires 

rigorous interventions in the lowest-performing schools and districts, and allows local 

flexibility to determine the appropriate improvement and support strategies for most 

schools. 

To foster public accountability for results and help focus improvement and support 

efforts, states must have data systems in place to gather information that is critical to 

determining how schools and districts are progressing in preparing students to graduate 

from high school college- and career-ready. States and districts will collect and make 

public data relating to student academic achievement and growth in English language arts 

and mathematics, student academic achievement in science, and if states choose, student 
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academic achievement and growth in other subjects, such as history. At the high school 

level, this data will also include graduation rates, college enrollment rates, and rates of 

college enrollment without need for remediation. All of these data must be disaggregated 

by race, gender, ethnicity, disability status, English Learner status, and family income. 

States and districts also will collect other key information about teaching and learning 

conditions, including information on school climate such as student, teacher and school 

leader attendance; disciplinary incidents; or student, parent, or school staff surveys about 

their school experience.

Measuring and Supporting Schools, Districts, and States. State accountability 

systems will be asked to recognize progress and growth and reward success, rather than 

only identify failure. To ensure that accountability no longer falls solely at the doors 

of schools, districts and states will be held accountable for providing their schools, 

principals and teachers with the support they need to succeed. We will ask States to 

recognize and reward schools and districts making the most progress, provide flexibility 

for local improvement efforts, and focus the most rigorous support and interventions on 

the very lowest-performing schools and districts. 

We will call on states, districts and schools to aim for the ambitious goal of all students 

graduating or on track to graduate from high school ready for college and a career 

by 2020. Performance targets, based on whole-school and subgroup achievement and 

growth, and graduation rates, will guide improvement toward that ambitious goal, and 

those that are meeting all of their performance targets will be recognized and rewarded. 

States, districts and schools will look not just at absolute performance and proficiency, 
10

but at individual student growth and school progress over time, and the additional data 

described above, to guide local improvement and support strategies for schools. 

The schools, districts, and states that are successful in reaching performance targets, 

significantly increasing student performance for all students, closing achievement gaps, 

or turning around the lowest-performing schools (at the district and state level) will be 

recognized as Reward schools, districts and states. States will receive funds to design 

innovative programs to reward high-poverty Reward schools and Reward districts. 

Rewards may include financial rewards for the staff and students and development of and 

participation in “communities of practice” to share best practices and replicate successful 

strategies to assist lower-performing schools and districts. Rewards may also include 

flexibility in the use of ESEA funds and, as appropriate, competitive preference for Reward 

states, high-need Reward districts, and high-need Reward schools in some federal grant 

competitions. Reward districts will also be given flexibility in implementing interventions 

in their lowest-performing schools, described further below. 

At the other end of the spectrum will be Challenge states, districts, and schools. States 

will identify Challenge schools that are in need of specific assistance. The first category 

of Challenge schools will be the lowest-performing five percent of schools in each state, 

based on student academic achievement, student growth, and graduation rates, that are 

not making progress to improve. In these schools, states and districts will be required 

to implement one of four school turnaround models, to support better outcomes for 

students. Reward districts will receive flexibility to implement a different research-based 

intervention model, beyond the scope of the four school turnaround models. The next 

five percent of low-performing schools will be identified in a warning category, and States 

and districts will implement research-based, locally-determined strategies to help them 

improve. 

Schools that are not closing significant, persistent achievement gaps will constitute 

another category of Challenge schools. In these schools, districts will be required to 

implement data-driven interventions to support those students who are farthest behind 

and close the achievement gap. For all Challenge schools, districts may implement 

strategies such as expanded learning time, supplemental educational services, public 

school choice, or other strategies to help students succeed. 

Challenge districts whose schools, principals and teachers are not receiving the support 

they need to succeed may also face significant governance or staffing changes, including 

replacement of the superintendent. Both Challenge districts and states will face additional 

restrictions on the use of ESEA funds and may be required to work with an outside 

organization to improve student academic achievement. 

Building Capacity for Support at Every Level. As we ask more of each level of the 

system, we will also build state and district capacity to support schools, school leaders, 
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teachers, and students. Our proposal will allow states and districts to reserve funds to 

carry out such activities as (i) supporting and complementing the adoption of rigorous 

standards and high-quality assessments, and supporting teachers in teaching to those 

standards; (ii) supporting the more effective use of data to identify local needs and 

improve student outcomes; (iii) improving capacity at the state and district levels to 

support the effective use of technology to improve instruction; (iv) coordinating with 

early learning programs to improve school readiness; or (v) carrying out effective family 

engagement strategies. 

Districts will be required to set aside a portion of funds under this program to 

improve student performance in high-need schools, by implementing effective school 

improvement strategies and carrying out strategies to ensure the equitable distribution of 

effective teachers and school leaders. Reward districts will be allowed flexibility around 

this reservation.

Fostering Comparability and Equity. To give every student a fair chance to succeed 

and give principals and teachers the resources to support student success, we will 

encourage increased resource equity at every level of the system. Over time, districts will 

be required to ensure that their high-poverty schools receive state and local funding levels 

(for personnel and relevant nonpersonnel expenditures) comparable to those received by 

their low-poverty schools. In addition, districts that use their resources to provide strong 

support to disadvantaged students will be given additional flexibility to provide such 

support. States will be asked to measure and report on resource disparities and develop a 

plan to tackle them. 

ASSESSING ACHIE VEMENT

Our proposal will maintain support for state efforts to improve the quality of their 

assessment systems, and to develop and implement the upgraded standards and 

assessments required by the College- and Career-Ready Students program. Improved 

assessments can be used to accurately measure student growth; to better measure how 

states, districts, schools, principals, and teachers are educating students; to help teachers 

adjust and focus their teaching; and to provide better information to students and their 

families.

States will receive formula grants to develop and implement high-quality assessments 

aligned with college- and career-ready standards in English language arts and mathematics that accurately measure student academic achievement and growth, provide feedback 

to support and improve teaching, and measure school success and progress. States may 

also use funds to develop or implement high-quality, rigorous statewide assessments in 

other academic or career and technical subjects, high school course assessments, English 

language proficiency assessments, and interim or formative assessments. Beginning in 

2015, formula funds will be available only to states that are implementing assessments 
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based on college- and career-ready standards that are common to a significant number 

of states. The program also will support competitive grants to consortia of states, and to 

other entities working in partnership with states, for research on, or development and 

improvement of, additional high-quality assessments to be used by multiple states in such 

areas as science, history, or foreign languages; high school course assessments in academic and career and technical subjects; universally designed assessments; and assessments 

for English Learners and students with disabilities. 

SCHOOL TURNAROUND GRANTS

Our proposal will make available significant grants to help states, districts, and schools 

implement the rigorous interventions required in each state’s lowest-performing 

Challenge schools under the College- and Career-Ready Students program. 

States will receive funds by formula and may reserve funds to build their capacity to 

improve low-performing schools, including developing and implementing effective school 

quality review teams to assist schools in identifying school needs and supporting school 

improvement. States will award the remainder of funds competitively to districts or 

partnerships of districts and nonprofit organizations to implement one of the following 

intervention models, to be selected locally, to ensure significant changes in the operation, 

governance, staffing, or instructional program of a school: 

▶ Transformation model: Replace the principal, strengthen staffing, implement a research-based instructional program, provide extended learning time, and implement new governance and flexibility.

▶ Turnaround model: Replace the principal and rehire no more than 50 percent of 

the school staff, implement a research-based instructional program, provide extended learning time, and implement new governance structure.

▶ Restart model: Convert or close and reopen the school under the management 

of an effective charter operator, charter management organization, or education 

management organization.

▶ School closure model: Close the school and enroll students who attended it in other, 

higher-performing schools in the district.

Districts and their partners will receive 3-year awards to fully and effectively implement 

one of these intervention models, and will be eligible for two additional years of funding 

to support a school’s ongoing improvement if the school is showing progress. 

In addition, the Secretary will reserve a portion of School Turnaround Grants for 

additional activities designed to enhance state, district, and nonprofit capacity to improve 

schools, such as investing in model school quality review teams to identify school needs 

and support school improvement.
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Of all the work that occurs at every level of our education system, the interaction between teacher and student is the primary determinant of student success. 

A great teacher can make the difference between a student who achieves at high levels 

and a student who slips through the cracks, and a great principal can help teachers 

succeed as part of a strong, well-supported instructional team. Research shows that 

top-performing teachers can make a dramatic difference in the achievement of their 

students, and suggests that the impact of being assigned to top-performing teachers year 

after year is enough to significantly narrow achievement gaps. We have to do more to 

ensure that every student has an effective teacher, every school has effective leaders, and 

every teacher and leader has access to the preparation, on-going support, recognition, 

and collaboration opportunities he or she need to succeed. Our proposals will ask states 

and districts to put in place the conditions that allow for teachers, principals, and leaders 

at all levels of the school system to get meaningful information about their practice, and 

support them in using this information to ensure that all students are getting the effective 

teaching they deserve. 

Great Teachers and Great Leaders

A New Approach

▶ Elevating the profession and focusing on recruiting, preparing, developing, and 

rewarding effective teachers and leaders.

▶ Focusing on teacher and leader effectiveness in improving student outcomes.

▶ Supporting states and districts that are willing to take bold action to increase the 

number of effective teachers and leaders where they are needed most.

▶ Strengthening pathways into teaching and school leadership positions in highneed schools.

Grreat Teachers and 

Great Leaders
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EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND LEADERS

Our proposal will continue and improve formula grants to states and school districts to 

improve the effectiveness of teachers and leaders, and ensure that students in high-need 

schools are being taught by effective teachers in schools led by effective principals. To 

help meet these goals, states and districts may choose how to spend funds to meet local 

needs, as long as they are improving teacher and principal effectiveness and ensuring 

the equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals. To measure, develop, and 

improve the effectiveness of their teachers, leaders, and preparation programs, states and 

districts will be required to put in place a few specific policies and systems, including:

▶ Statewide definitions of “effective teacher,” “effective principal,” “highly effective teacher,” and “highly effective principal,” developed in collaboration with 

teachers, principals, and other stakeholders, that are based in significant part on 

student growth and also include other measures, such as classroom observations 

of practice. As states transition to using these measures of effectiveness, we will 

maintain the provisions of current law relating to “Highly Qualified Teachers,” 

but with additional flexibility.
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▶ State-level data systems that link information on teacher and principal preparation programs to the job placement, student growth, and retention outcomes of 

their graduates. 

▶ District-level evaluation systems that (i) meaningfully differentiate teachers and 

principals by effectiveness across at least three performance levels; (ii) are consistent with their state’s definitions of “effective” and “highly effective” teacher and 

principal; (iii) provide meaningful feedback to teachers and principals to improve 

their practice and inform professional development; and (iv) are developed in 

collaboration with teachers, principals, and other education stakeholders.

Developing Effective Teachers and Leaders. Both states and school districts will 

carry out strategies to develop effective teachers and leaders that meet their local needs. 

States may use funds to recruit and develop effective teachers and principals, support 

the creation of effective educator career ladders, and improve teacher and principal 

certification and retention policies to better reflect a candidate’s ability to improve 

outcomes for students. Recognizing the importance of principal leadership in supporting 

teachers, states will work to improve the effectiveness of principals, through activities 

such as strengthening principal preparation programs and providing training and 

support to principals of high-need schools. States will also be required to develop 

meaningful plans to ensure the equitable distribution of teachers and principals that 

receive at least an “effective” rating. If states are unsuccessful in improving the equitable 

distribution of these teachers and principals, they will be required to develop and 

implement more rigorous plans and additional strategies more likely to improve equity. 

School districts may use funds to develop and implement fair and meaningful teacher 

and principal evaluation systems, working in collaboration with teachers, principals, and 

other stakeholders; to foster and provide collaboration and development opportunities 

in schools and build instructional teams of teachers, leaders, and other school staff, 

including paraprofessionals; to support educators in improving their instructional 

practice through effective, ongoing, job-embedded, professional development that is 

targeted to student and school needs; and to carry out other activities to improve the 

effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school staff, and ensure the equitable 

distribution of effective teachers and principals. Funds spent on strategies such as 

professional development and class size reduction must be aligned with evidence of 

improvements in student learning.

Districts that have put in place the required evaluation systems may generally spend 

funds flexibly, except that a district that is not improving equity in the distribution 

of effective teachers and principals will be required to submit a new plan to the state 

under which funds will be spent solely on ensuring its evaluation system meets the 

requirements described above and on specific activities aimed at improving the equitable 

distribution of effective teachers and principals. 
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Measuring Success. We will require transparency around the key indicators of whether 

students and schools have effective teachers and principals and whether teachers have 

the professional supports they need. Both states and districts must publish report cards 

at least every two years that provide information on key indicators, such as teacher 

qualifications and teacher and principal designations of effectiveness; teachers and 

principals hired from high-performing pathways; teacher survey data on levels of support 

and working conditions in schools; the novice status of teachers and principals; teacher 

and principal attendance; and retention rates of teachers by performance level. States 

will also be required to report on the performance of teacher and principal preparation 

programs by their graduates’ impact on student growth and other measures, job 

placement, and retention.

TEACHER AND LEADER INNOVATION FUND

Our proposal will continue competitive grants for states and school districts that are 

willing to implement ambitious reforms to better identify, recruit, prepare, develop, 

retain, reward, and advance effective teachers, principals, and school leadership teams in 

high-need schools. Grantees must be able to differentiate among teachers and principals 

on the basis of their students’ growth and other measures, and must use this information 

to differentiate, as applicable, credentialing, professional development, and retention and 

advancement decisions, and to reward highly effective teachers and principals in highneed schools. School districts must also put in place policies to help ensure that principals 

are able to select and build a strong team of teachers with a shared vision and that teachers 

are choosing to be part of a school team. 

Grantees may use funds to reform compensation systems to provide differentiated 

compensation and career advancement opportunities to educators who are effective 

in increasing student academic achievement, who take on additional roles and 

responsibilities in their schools, and who teach in high-need schools, subjects, areas, 

and fields. Grantees may also use funds to staff high-need schools more effectively, such 

as through the implementation or use of earlier hiring timelines. States and districts 

will be encouraged to use these funds to take on additional innovative reforms, such as 

improving teacher salary schedules so as to eliminate incentives for teachers to obtain 

credentials that have been shown not to be linked with student performance. Additionally, 

states must describe the extent to which high-performing pathways are in place. In all 

cases, applicants will be required to provide evidence of stakeholder involvement in the 

development of their proposal.
17

TEACHER AND LEADER PATHWAYS

Our proposal will continue competitive grants to improve and strengthen the 

recruitment and preparation of effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders by 

nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and school districts, through highquality preparation programs that prepare educators for high-need districts, schools, 

subjects, areas, and fields.

Teacher Pathways. To strengthen traditional and alternative pathways into teaching, 

our proposal includes competitive grants for the recruitment, preparation, placement, 

and induction of promising teacher candidates for high-need schools, subjects, areas, 

and fields. Programs must be designed to meet the specific teacher needs of a district 

or districts, and must either have a record of preparing effective teachers or commit to 

tracking and measuring the effectiveness of their graduates in the classroom.

In making grants, the Secretary will take into account whether programs will prepare 

teachers to teach to college- and career-ready standards; the extent to which programs 

are designed to meet the needs of high-need areas, including rural areas, or high-need 

fields, such as teaching English Learners, students with disabilities, or other students 

with diverse learning needs; and the extent to which programs provide streamlined 

opportunities for applicants who can demonstrate competency in specific knowledge 

or skills. Priority may be given to programs that work to recruit and prepare highperforming college graduates or non-traditional candidates, such as military veterans 

or midcareer professionals. The Secretary also will carry out a teacher recruitment 

campaign, working with states, districts, and outside organizations to recruit talented 

candidates into the teaching profession.
18

Transformational Leaders. To strengthen traditional and alternative pathways 

into school leadership, our proposal includes competitive grants for the recruitment, 

preparation, and support of effective principals and leadership teams to turn around 

persistently low-performing schools. 

Grantees must either have a record of preparing effective leaders or commit to tracking 

and measuring the effectiveness of their graduates, as well as provide a substantial 

residency or field-based component and induction support for new principals and 

other leaders to succeed. Priority will be given to programs that commit to put in place 

conditions that increase the likelihood that their graduates and other principals will 

succeed in improving low-performing schools, such as providing autonomy over staffing, 

budget, instructional program, and schedule; and those with a record of preparing 

principals who improve student academic achievement and other outcomes at lowperforming schools. Finally, the Secretary will make grants to recruit, prepare, place, and 

support the retention of effective state and district leaders, such as superintendents, chief 

academic officers, and human resource directors, who are able to lead transformational 

change in their states and districts. 
19

America’s schools are responsible for meeting the educational needs of an increasingly diverse student population, and ESEA programs must provide a 

wide range of resources and support to ensure that all students have the opportunity to 

succeed in college and in a career. ESEA includes programs that help schools meet the 

special educational needs of children working to learn the English language, students 

with disabilities, Native American students, homeless students, the children of migrant 

workers, and neglected or delinquent students. In addition, the federal government has 

a responsibility to provide assistance to certain high-need regions and areas, including 

rural districts and districts that are affected by federal property and activities. 

In each of these areas, the Administration’s ESEA reauthorization proposal will continue 

and strengthen the federal commitment to serving all students, and improve each 

program to ensure that funds are used more effectively to meet the needs of the students 

they serve.

Meeting the Needs of English Learners

and Other Diverse Learners

A Continued Commitment

▶ Improving programs for English Learners and encouraging innovative programs 

and practices to support English Learners’ success and build the knowledge base 

about what works. 

▶ Maintaining and strengthening formula grant programs for Native American 

students, homeless students, migrant students, and neglected or delinquent students; as well as for districts that are in rural areas or that are affected by federal 

property and activities.

▶ Meeting the needs of students with disabilities throughout ESEA and through the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

of Diverse Learners

Meeting the Needs 
20

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

While the primary funding for programs specifically focused on supporting students 

with disabilities is through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, our ESEA 

reauthorization proposal will increase support for the inclusion and improved outcomes 

of students with disabilities. Our proposal will help ensure that teachers and leaders are 

better prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners, that assessments more accurately 

and appropriately measure the performance of students with disabilities, and that more 

districts and schools implement high-quality, state- and locally-determined curricula and 

instructional supports that incorporate the principles of universal design for learning to 

meet all students’ needs. 

ENGLISH LEARNER EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue to provide significant formula grants to help states and school 

districts implement high-quality language instruction educational programs to improve 

the education of English Learners. Grantees may provide dual-language programs, 

transitional bilingual education, sheltered English immersion, newcomer programs 

for late-entrant English Learners, or other language instruction educational programs. 

Grantees may also provide effective professional development for all teachers of English 

Learners, including teachers of academic content areas, that is responsive to demonstrated 

needs identified by evaluations. To ensure that formula grant assistance in these areas 

supports the conditions needed to foster English Learners’ success, we will require states 

to:

▶ Establish new criteria to ensure consistent statewide identification of students 

as English Learners, and to determine eligibility, placement, and duration of 

programs and services, based on the state’s valid and reliable English language 

proficiency assessment.

▶ Implement a system to evaluate the effectiveness of language instruction educational programs, and to provide information on the achievement of subgroups of 

English Learners, to drive better decisions by school districts for program improvement, and to support districts in selecting effective programs. 

Districts that are not improving the performance of English Learners will lose flexibility 

around the use of funds under this program, and must work with the state to implement 

more effective strategies.

Our proposal will also provide new competitive grants to states, districts, and nonprofit 

partners to support the development of innovative programs, build the knowledge base 

about promising practices, and scale up effective practices to improve instruction for 
21

English Learners, including funding for graduate fellowships to support research and 

leadership in developing effective practices to improve English Learner outcomes, as well 

as state or district partnerships with colleges and universities for developing effective 

teachers.

In addition, under the College- and Career-Ready Students program, states will be 

required to adopt and implement statewide grade-by-grade English language proficiency 

standards that are linked to the state’s college- and career-ready academic content 

standards.

MIGRANT EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue and strengthen formula grants to states, districts, and other 

providers to meet the educational needs of migrant students. To ensure that funds are 

most effectively targeted to the areas in which migrant students live, we will update the 

current funding formula to incorporate more accurate and timely data. We will also 

strengthen and facilitate interstate efforts to support the educational transition of migrant 

students into local schools and communities.

HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue and strengthen formula grants to help states and districts 

put in place systems and services to meet the educational needs of homeless students. 

First, we will better target funds to serve homeless students by allocating funds on the 

basis of counts of homeless students rather than by shares of Title I allocations. Second, 

we will remove barriers to effective services for homeless children. And third, we will 

clarify provisions of the current statute where ambiguity resulted in delays in services for 

homeless children and youths. Our proposal will also increase transparency by requiring 

grantees to report on the academic outcomes for students served by the program.

NEGLECTED AND DELINQUENT CHILDREN AND 

YOUTHS EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue and strengthen formula grants to states to improve 

educational services for students in state-operated institutions and community day 

programs for neglected or delinquent children and youths. To better direct funds to 

support students in locally-operated institutions, our proposal will ask districts to reserve 

funds received under the College- and Career-Ready Students program to support 

programs conducted by locally-operated institutions.
22

INDIAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND ALASKA NATIVE 

EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue strong support – through formula and competitive grants 

to states; districts; Indian tribes; Indian institutions of higher education; Indian, Native 

Hawaiian, and Alaska Native educational and community-based organizations; and 

nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions – to help meet the unique needs of 

Indian students, Native Hawaiian students, and Alaska Native students. 

Grantees under the Indian education program will have greater flexibility to use funds 

to carry out programs that meet the needs of Indian students, including Native language 

immersion and Native language restoration programs, and develop tribal specific 

standards and assessments. Our proposal will improve access to funds for Indian tribes 

under other ESEA programs, and recognize and strengthen the role of tribal education 

departments in coordinating and implementing services and programs for Indian 

students within their jurisdiction. To ensure that programs reflect the academic, language, 

and cultural needs of Indian students, we will continue to require the participation of 

the parents of Indian children in the design of programs. To support effective programs, 

we will expand eligibility to school districts and public charter schools under the Native 

Hawaiian and Alaska Native programs.
23

RURAL EDUCATION

Our proposal will continue formula grants to rural districts to address the specific needs 

of students in rural areas, through the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) and the 

Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) programs. In order to improve targeting of funds, 

we will update the method used to identify districts as rural. To allow additional districts 

needed flexibility, our proposal will also expand the current “REAP Flex” authority, 

which allows eligible small districts to use other federal education funds flexibly, to 

districts that are eligible to receive funds under RLIS. In addition, we will better align 

the accountability requirements of the College- and Career-Ready Students program 

with the rural education program, so that the rural education program supports school 

improvement efforts in persistently low-performing districts. 

To help rural districts apply for competitive grants and determine effective strategies for 

improving student academic achievement, the Secretary may reserve funds for national 

activities such as technical assistance and research on innovative programs that are 

designed to help rural districts overcome common capacity constraints.

IMPACT AID

Our reauthorization proposal will continue significant formula grant support designed 

to compensate districts for the expense of educating federally-connected children and for 

the presence in their districts of tax-exempt federal property or other property removed 

from the tax rolls by the federal government. Because these funds are compensatory, 

districts enjoy broad flexibility in the use of these funds. 

25

As we ask states to raise their standards to prepare their students for college and the workplace, we will also be asking more from students, families, teachers, 

principals, and every level of the educational system. To make higher standards 

meaningful, we must ensure that states, districts, schools, and teachers have the resources 

and assistance they need to help students reach these standards, such as instructional 

supports, high-quality professional development, and teaching and learning materials 

aligned with those standards. This means a new investment in improving teaching 

and learning in all content areas – from literacy to science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics to history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, financial literacy, 

environmental education, and other subjects – and in providing accelerated learning 

opportunities to more students to make postsecondary success more attainable.

A Complete Education

A New Approach

▶ Strengthening instruction in literacy and in science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics, aligned with improved standards that build toward college- and 

career-readiness.

▶ Supporting teachers and students in teaching and learning to more rigorous

standards that prepare students for college and a career.

▶ Improving access to a well-rounded education for students in high-need schools.

▶ Expanding access to college coursework and other accelerated learning

opportunities for students in high-need schools.

A Complete Education
26

LITERACY

Our proposal will provide competitive grants to support the transition to higher 

standards by assisting states in strengthening their literacy programs and by providing 

substantial support to high-need districts in implementing high-quality literacy 

instruction. States will be required to develop comprehensive, evidence-based, preK–12 

literacy plans and to align federal, state, and local funds to provide high-quality literacy 

instruction. States may carry out strategies to improve literacy instruction statewide, such 

as supporting districts in identifying effective instructional materials and improving 

teachers’ knowledge and skills in effective literacy instruction for all students, including 

English Learners and students with disabilities.

Priority will be given to states that have adopted common, state-developed, college- and 

career-ready standards. Priority may also be given to states that use technology to address 

student learning challenges, which may include the principles of universal design for learning. 

States will provide competitive subgrants to high-need districts to support comprehensive 

literacy programs in the grades and schools with the greatest local need. Programs 

must provide effective professional development for teachers and school leaders; highquality state- or locally-determined curricula, instructional materials, and assessments; 

interventions that ensure that all students are served appropriately; and language- and 

text-rich classroom environments that engage and motivate students. Literacy programs 

may also include activities related to family literacy, improving library services, and other 

efforts to improve literacy. 

Priority will be given to districts that propose to align other local, state, and federal 

resources with their plan to improve literacy instruction; propose to implement programs 

that have the strongest available evidence; propose to implement activities in the schools 

with the greatest need; or have a plan for sustaining the strategy.

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND 

MATHEMATICS (STEM)

Our proposal will provide competitive grants to support the transition to higher 

standards by assisting states in strengthening their STEM programs and by providing 

substantial support to high-need districts in implementing high-quality instruction in at 

least mathematics or science and may also include technology or engineering. States will 

be required to develop comprehensive, evidence-based plans and to align federal, state, 

and local funds to provide high-quality STEM instruction. States may carry out strategies 

to improve STEM instruction statewide, such as partnering with statewide Race to the 

Top partnerships, supporting districts in identifying effective instructional materials, and 

improving teachers’ knowledge and skills in effective STEM instruction for all students, 

including English Learners and students with disabilities.
27

Priority will be given to states that have adopted common, state-developed, college- and 

career-ready standards. Priority may also be given to states that use technology to address 

student learning challenges, which may include the principles of universal design for 

learning; cooperate with outside partners with STEM expertise; or propose to prepare 

more students, including students from underrepresented groups, for advanced study and 

careers in STEM.

States will award competitive subgrants to high-need districts to support comprehensive 

STEM instruction in the grades and schools with the greatest local need. Programs must 

provide effective professional development for teachers and school leaders; high-quality 

state- or locally-determined curricula, instructional materials, and assessments; and 

interventions that ensure that all students are served appropriately. Subgrantees may use 

program funds to integrate evidence-based, effective mathematics or science programs 

into the teaching of other core academic subjects and for technology-based strategies to 

improve STEM education.

Priority will be given to districts that propose to align other local, state, and federal 

resources with their plan to improve instruction in STEM subjects; propose to implement 

programs that have the strongest available evidence; propose to implement activities in 

the schools with the greatest need; or have a plan for sustaining the strategy.
28

ENSURING A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION

To help more students in high-need schools receive a well-rounded education, our 

proposal will provide competitive grants to states, high-need districts, and nonprofit 

partners to strengthen the teaching and learning of arts, foreign languages, history and 

civics, financial literacy, environmental education, and other subjects. 

Grants may support either the development of new, promising instructional practices or 

the expansion of instructional practices for which there is evidence of improving student 

performance in one or more of these subjects. Such practices, which should be aimed 

at improving instruction for all students, including English Learners and students with 

disabilities, may include high-quality professional development, better assessments, highquality state- or locally-determined curricula aligned with state standards, or innovative 

uses of technology.

Priority will be given to applicants proposing to integrate teaching and learning across 

academic subjects; to use technology to address student learning challenges; and at the 

high school level, to work with colleges or universities to ensure that coursework is truly 

aligned with those institutions’ expectations.
29

COLLEGE PATHWAYS AND ACCELERATED 

LEARNING

Our proposal will provide competitive grants to states, districts, and nonprofit partners 

to increase access to accelerated learning opportunities for students. At the high school 

level, these opportunities will include college-level work. At the elementary and middle 

school levels, these opportunities will include access to gifted and talented education 

programs.

Grantees will carry out activities that help students prepare for, or directly provide, 

college-level work (including early-college or dual-enrollment programs, Advanced 

Placement (AP) programs, and International Baccalaureate programs), other accelerated 

learning programs, and gifted and talented programs in elementary or middle schools. 

Applicants may propose additional activities, such as allowing credit based on successful 

demonstration of competency via examination or other valid means, or providing 

counseling, mentoring, or programs to develop study skills. Priority will be given to 

applicants that propose to serve high schools with low graduation rates and that partner 

with state higher education offices and institutions of higher education in a program that 

allows higher education credits to be portable beyond the individual partner institution 

or institutions. Our proposal will continue to provide support to states to improve access 

to AP tests for low-income students. 

ACTIVITIES TO STRENGTHEN A COMPLE TE 

EDUCATION

Under our proposal, the Secretary will set aside funds to carry out additional activities 

to improve teaching and learning in academic subjects, such as grants for the creation 

of high-quality educational digital content; grants to states to develop and improve their 

capacity to use technology to improve instruction; or grants to nonprofits to develop and 

implement innovative and effective strategies to improve the teaching and learning of 

specific subjects. 

31

Supporting student success requires deploying every tool at our disposal. The students most at risk for academic failure too often attend schools and live in 

communities with insufficient capacity to address the full range of their needs. The result 

is that students cannot always focus on learning and teachers cannot always focus on 

teaching. 

Preparing students for success requires taking innovative, comprehensive approaches 

to meeting students’ needs, such as rethinking the length and structure of the school 

day and year, so that students have the time they need to succeed and teachers have the 

time they need to collaborate and improve their practice. It means supporting innovative 

models that provide the services that students need; time for teachers to collaborate 

to meet academic challenges; environments that help all students be safe, healthy, and 

supported in their classrooms, schools, and communities; and greater opportunities to 

engage families in their children’s education and strengthen the role of schools as centers 

of communities. 

Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students

A New Approach

▶ Providing a cradle through college and career continuum in high-poverty 

communities that provides effective schools, comprehensive services, and family 

supports.

▶ Supporting programs that redesign and expand the school schedule, provide highquality afterschool programs, and provide comprehensive supports to students.

▶ Using data to improve students’ safety, health, and well-being, and increasing the 

capacity of states, districts, and schools to create safe, healthy, and drug-free 

environments.

Successful, Safe, and

 Healthy Students
32

PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS

Our proposal will provide new, competitive grants to support the development and 

implementation of a continuum of effective community services, strong family supports, 

and comprehensive education reforms to improve the educational and life outcomes for 

children and youths in high-need communities, from birth through college and into 

careers. Programs must be designed to improve academic and developmental outcomes 

for children and youths through effective public schools, community-based organizations, 

and other local agencies. Programs will be encouraged to take a comprehensive 

approach to meeting student needs, drawing on the contributions of community-based 

organizations, local agencies, and family and community members. Grantees will conduct 

a needs assessment of all children in the community in order to establish baseline data 

against which the grantee will aim to improve outcomes, and will promote and coordinate 

community involvement, support, and buy-in, including securing and leveraging 

resources from the public and private sectors.

21ST CENTURY COMMUNIT Y LEARNING

CENTERS

Our proposal will provide competitive grants for states, school districts, nonprofit 

organizations, and partnerships to implement in school and out of school strategies that 

provide students and, where appropriate, teachers and family members, with additional 

time and supports to succeed. 

Competitive grants will be awarded to states, school districts, and community-based 

organizations to leverage models that comprehensively redesign and expand the school 

day or year, provide full-service community schools, or provide services before school, 

after school, or during the summer. All programs will focus on improving student 

academic achievement in core academic subjects, ranging from English language arts, 

mathematics, and science, to history, the arts, and financial literacy, as part of a wellrounded education, and providing enrichment activities, which may include activities 

that improve mental and physical health, opportunities for experiential learning, and 

greater opportunities for families to actively and meaningfully engage in their children’s 

education. 

Priority will be given to applicants that propose to carry out programs to support the 

improvement of Challenge schools identified under the College- and Career-Ready 

Students program, and those that propose to implement comprehensive and coordinated 

programs, including comprehensively redesigning and expanding the school schedule for 

all students, providing comprehensive supports to students and families through fullservice community school models, or establishing partnerships between school districts 

and nonprofit organizations for in school or out of school strategies. 
33

SUCCESSFUL, SAFE, AND HEALTHY STUDENTS

Our proposal will provide competitive grants to support states, school districts, and their 

partners in providing learning environments that ensure that students are successful, 

safe, and healthy. To better measure school climate and identify local needs, grantees 

will be required to develop and implement a state- or district-wide school climate needs 

assessment to evaluate school engagement, school safety (addressing drug, alcohol, and 

violence issues), and school environment, and publicly report this information. This 

assessment must include surveys of student, school staff, and family experiences with 

respect to individual schools, and additional data such as suspensions and disciplinary 

actions. States will use this data to identify local needs and provide competitive subgrants 

to school districts and their partners to address the needs of students, schools, and 

communities. 

Grantees will use funds under the Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students program 

to carry out strategies designed to improve school safety and to promote students’ 

physical and mental health and well-being, nutrition education, healthy eating, and 

physical fitness. Grantees may support activities to prevent and reduce substance use, 

school violence (including teen dating violence), harassment, and bullying, as well as 

to strengthen family and community engagement in order to ensure a healthy and 

supportive school environment. 
34

Priority will be given to applicants that propose to support partnerships between districts 

and nonprofit organizations, including community-based organizations. Priority will 

also be given to grantees willing to direct funds to schools with the greatest need, 

including Challenge schools, as identified under the College- and Career-Ready Students 

program, or schools with the greatest needs as identified through the school climate needs 

assessment.
35

For all students to thrive in the classroom, in college, and in a career, our educational system must continuously develop and embrace the very best 

practices, policies, and ideas. Innovative practices are constantly emerging to help more 

students graduate ready for college and a career. We will ask policymakers and educators 

at all levels to carefully analyze the impact of their policies, practices, and systems on 

student outcomes. We will provide students and families with increased high-quality 

public school educational options, and empower them with improved information about 

the options available to them. And across programs, we will focus less on compliance and 

more on enabling effective local strategies to flourish.

Fostering Innovation and Excellence

A New Approach

▶ Providing incentives for a Race to the Top among states and districts willing to 

take on ambitious, comprehensive reforms.

▶ Developing, validating, and scaling up promising and proven educational strategies to improve student outcomes.

▶ Expanding educational options to increase choice within the public school system 

through high-performing new schools and meaningful public school choice.

Fostering Innovation 

and Excellence
36

RACE TO THE TOP

Modeled after the Race to the Top program authorized by the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009, our proposal will provide competitive grants to states and 

school districts to take on ambitious and comprehensive reforms, and to encourage 

the broad identification, dissemination, adoption, and use of effective policies and 

practices. State and school district grantees will be required to develop and implement 

comprehensive plans, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to dramatically improve 

student outcomes, including focusing on rigorous college- and career-ready standards 

and high-quality assessments; providing better information to families to help them 

evaluate and improve their children’s schools, and to educators to help them improve 

their students’ learning; supporting effective teachers and school leaders; turning around 

persistently low-performing schools; and supporting innovative models for reform. 

States and school districts that receive grants may spend funds flexibly in a manner 

aligned with their plans, but states must award at least 50 percent of their grant funds to 

school districts that participate in the state plan. Grantees will be required to meet specific 

annual performance targets related to the implementation of their plan and to improving 

measurable outcomes for students and schools, and will receive continuation funding only 

if they implement their proposed plans effectively and meet their performance targets. 

Grantees must invest in rigorous evaluation of their ongoing performance and reform 

efforts.

INVESTING IN INNOVATION (i3)

This program builds on the i3 program launched through the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009, and will provide additional competitive grants to expand 

the implementation of, and investment in, innovative and evidence-based practices, 

programs, and strategies that significantly improve student outcomes. The Secretary 

will use a rigorous, three-tiered evidence framework that directs the highest levels of 

funding to programs with the strongest evidence, and also provides significant support 

for promising programs that are willing to undergo rigorous evaluation. Grantees will 

use funds to scale up practices, strategies, or programs for which there is strong evidence 

of success in significantly closing achievement gaps between groups of students and in 

significantly increasing student academic achievement for all groups of students; validate 

and expand practices, strategies, or programs for which there is moderate evidence of 

success; or develop and test promising practices, strategies, or programs for which there 

is potential and some research-based support. Each grantee will be required to conduct or 

participate in an independent evaluation of its project. Grantees will be required to form 

partnerships with the private sector to secure matching funds.
37

Applicants will be required to propose projects that develop or expand innovations in 

critical areas of education reform. The Secretary may also give preference to applicants 

that propose to develop or expand innovations around specific pressing needs, such 

as improving the teaching and learning of STEM subjects, improving early learning 

outcomes, addressing the learning needs of English Learners and students with 

disabilities, and serving schools in rural areas. The Secretary will also reserve funds for 

inducement prizes to drive breakthrough inventions in education or for dramatic and 

innovative approaches to improving educational outcomes.

EXPANDING EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS

In addition to broad-based comprehensive state and local reforms and the expansion of 

evidence-based practices and innovations, the Administration’s ESEA reauthorization 

proposal will encourage educational entrepreneurship by expanding competitive grants 

aimed at increasing the supply of high-quality public educational options available to 

students.

Supporting Effective Charter Schools. Our proposal will provide competitive grants 

to states, charter school authorizers, charter management organizations, districts, and 

nonprofit organizations, to start or expand high-performing public charter schools 

and other high-performing autonomous public schools, with a priority for applicants 

proposing to start or expand high-performing public charter schools. Autonomous 

schools are public schools that, as much or even more than charter schools, have ongoing 

autonomy over key operational elements, including staffing, budget, schedule, and 

program. Both charter schools and other autonomous schools funded under this program 

must be subject to the same accountability systems as traditional public schools, as well as 

increased accountability for improving student academic achievement.

To ensure that funds are used to start or expand high-performing schools that improve 

outcomes for all subgroups of students, applicants will be evaluated based on their record 

of past success in funding, supporting, authorizing, managing, or operating (as relevant) 

high-performing public charter schools or other high-performing public autonomous 

schools; their record of cutting off funding to or closing low-performing charter schools 

or other low-performing autonomous schools; and their commitment to improving 

the quality of their schools in the future. Grantees will be required to develop plans 

to appropriately serve all students in charter or other autonomous schools, including 

English Learners and students with disabilities, and to provide information to ensure 

students and families are aware of and able to apply to these schools. The Secretary may 

reserve a portion of funds to improve charter schools’ access to facilities or to facilities 

financing.
38

To build greater capacity to support and hold schools accountable under this program, 

grantees at all levels will be allowed to set aside funds to improve their capacity to oversee 

and support schools funded under this program. Additionally, charter management 

organizations that commit to work with districts to support the districts in implementing 

effective strategies in district schools may be eligible for larger grants.

Promoting Public School Choice. Our proposal will continue to provide competitive 

grants to districts, consortia of districts, and states in partnership with districts to expand 

high-quality public school educational options for students, especially students in lowperforming schools, and ensure that students and families are aware of these options. 

Grantees will use funds to implement programs that increase high-quality public school 

options for students, especially students in low-performing schools, through creating 

or expanding inter- and intradistrict choice programs, theme-based schools, highquality online learning programs, or academic pathways. Grantees must also carry out 

activities to provide students, families, and the community with information about how 

to identify, evaluate, and access high-quality educational options. Priority will be given to 

interdistrict choice programs and programs that provide comprehensive choices to every 

student in a district. Priority will also be given to programs that increase diversity in the 

schools served by the program.

Magnet Schools Assistance Program. Our proposal will continue to provide 

competitive grants to districts to support magnet schools under a desegregation plan 

ordered by a federal court, state court, or other authorized state agency or official, or 

approved by the Secretary. The reauthorized program will expand and improve options 

for students and increase diversity by placing a greater emphasis on funding wholeschool magnet school programs or models that have a record of success in raising student 

academic achievement and reducing minority group isolation. 
39

Throughout this proposal, we have sought to redefine the federal role in education: shifting from a focus merely on compliance to allowing state and local innovation 

to flourish, rewarding success, and fostering supportive and collaborative relationships 

with states, districts, and nonprofit partners. There are several cross-cutting changes 

we are proposing in order to allow local innovations to lead the way and to support the 

development, identification, and scaling-up of strategies that are working. 

Additional Cross-Cutting Priorities

A New Approach

▶ Increasing flexibility in return for improved outcomes.

▶ Expanding programs, projects, and strategies that show results.

▶ Focusing on key priorities across programs.

Cutting Priorities

Additional Cross-
40

FLEXIBILIT Y FOR SUCCESS

A re-envisioned federal role means giving states and districts additional flexibility in 

how they spend federal dollars as long as they are continuing to focus on what matters 

most – improving outcomes for students. States and districts will be allowed to use most 

federal administrative funds and reservations flexibly to build their own capacity to 

support reform and improvement. Most districts will also be allowed to spend more ESEA 

program funds flexibly, as long as they continue to comply with the conditions associated 

with those funds and are improving student outcomes. 

GROWING SUCCESS

Where grantees are successfully improving outcomes for students, we should not only 

reward them, but replicate their successful practices. For each competitive program in 

this proposal, grantees that are significantly improving outcomes will be eligible for both 

continuation funds and additional funds to expand their strategies to additional students, 

schools, districts, or states. This will ensure that federal funds flow to projects that are 

successfully serving students.

E VALUATION AND BUILDING THE

KNOWLEDGE BASE

To foster ongoing improvement of ESEA programs and to advance knowledge in the 

field, investments are needed in data analysis and evaluation at the federal, state, and 

local levels. Consequently, this proposal encourages federal, state, and local levels to work 
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together to use data for continuous improvement, test innovative ideas, evaluate and 

replicate promising approaches, and scale up what strong research evidence suggests 

works across all ESEA programs. In addition, a new evaluation authority will authorize 

rigorous, objective evaluations of ESEA programs, policies, and practices and support 

performance measurement of those programs. The Secretary will submit to Congress a 

biennial plan on ESEA evaluation and performance measurement and will establish an 

independent panel that advises on the plan. 

CROSS-CUTTING PRIORITIES

There are some priorities that are relevant in numerous areas of education reform. We 

may apply specific priorities across programs, as appropriate, including priorities for: 

(1) Technology. Technology, effectively and thoughtfully deployed, can improve 

how schools work, how teachers teach, and how students learn. Priority may be 

given to programs, projects, or strategies that leverage digital information or 

communications technology to accomplish the stated goals of the grant. 

(2) Evidence. As evidence develops in new areas, funding should be devoted to the 

areas with the most evidence of effectiveness in improving outcomes for students. 

Priority may be given to programs, projects, or strategies on the strength of their 

evidentiary base.

(3) Efficiency. Particularly in the current economic situation, it is important to 

do more with fewer resources. Priority may be given to programs, projects, 

or strategies that are designed to significantly increase efficiency in the use of 

resources to improve student outcomes. 

(4) Supporting English Learners and Students With Disabilities. Schools, districts, 

and states must be held responsible for educating all students, including English 

Learners and students with disabilities, to high standards, but more work could 

be done to develop and scale up effective strategies for these students. Priority 

may be given to programs, projects, or strategies that are designed to specifically 

improve the performance of English Learners or students with disabilities.

(5) Supporting Rural and Other High-Need Areas. In new competitive programs, 

we will be putting in place appropriate strategies to ensure that rural districts 

and other high-need districts are not disadvantaged and are able to receive the 

funding they need to help students succeed. Priority may be given to programs or 

projects designed to serve rural and other high-need areas.