FY 2022 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 5 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

M A N A G E M E N T ’ S D I S C U S S I O N A N D A N A LY S I S ( U N A U D I T E D ) 

The Department’s Approach to Performance

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

FRAMEWORK

In accordance with the GPRA Modernization Act of 

2010,

1

 the Department’s framework for performance 

management begins with the Strategic Plan, which serves 

as the foundation for establishing and implementing 

priorities, highlighting performance goals and objectives, 

and developing performance indicators to gauge progress 

and outcomes. Progress toward the Department’s strategic 

goals and its two-year Agency Priority Goals (APGs) are 

measured using data-driven review and analysis. Additional 

information on performance management is available in the 

Annual Performance Plans and Annual Performance Reports.

2

The FY 2022–26 Strategic Plan is comprised of five Strategic 

Goals and three FY 2022 and FY 2023 APGs. The Strategic 

Plan aims to address administration priorities, such as 

recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 

pandemic; ensuring high-quality, equitable secondary and 

postsecondary education; and providing diverse learning 

environments for all students, especially those who have 

been underserved. Each supporting strategic objective 

has corresponding performance indicators to assess the 

Department’s progress on achieving the Strategic Goals and 

objectives. For additional information about Performance 

Management at the Department, visit ED Strategic Plans 

and Annual Reports or email PIO@ed.gov.

1 GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 amends the Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 (GPRA).

2 The FY 2022 Statement of Net Cost and related notes align with the FY 2022–26 

Strategic Plan.

FY 2022–26 Strategic Goals 

and Strategic Objectives

Strategic Goal 1: Promote equity in student access to educational 

resources, opportunities, and inclusive environments.

Strategic Objective 1.1 Prioritize the equitable and adequate 

distribution of resources to communities of 

concentrated poverty, in an effort to provide 

underserved students with high-quality 

educational opportunities.

Strategic Objective 1.2 Ensure all students have access to wellrounded, rigorous, engaging, and diverse 

learning opportunities and environments to 

support their success in school.

Strategic Objective 1.3 Support states, school districts, and 

institutions of higher education to promote 

and protect students’ nondiscriminatory and 

equal access to education, as provided by 

Federal civil rights laws.

Strategic Objective 1.4 Promote greater access and supports for 

youth and adults to engage in learning, 

succeed in postsecondary education, and 

increase their employability in high-demand 

occupations.

Strategic Goal 1 focuses on outcomes related to improving 

and promoting educational equities for all students 

through adequate resources, opportunities, and supports. 

In FY 2022, $46.2 billion was appropriated to the 

Department in support of Strategic Goal 1. 

Multiple reports, such as those from the National 

Assessment of Educational Progress and the Program 

for International Student Assessment, suggest that 

inequalities in resources, policies, programs, services, and 

practices serve as barriers to access to equal educational 

opportunities for underserved students that need to be 

redressed. In support of Strategic Goal 1, the Department 

provided accessible digital instructional materials to blind, 

visually impaired, and print-disabled students, supporting 

499,260 accessible digital instructional material downloads. 

Additionally in FY 2022, the Department issued guidance 

on the rights of public-school students with disabilities, 

including behavioral disabilities, at the elementary and 

secondary education level, to nondiscrimination on the 

basis of disability, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation 

Act of 1973, in the context of discipline.

In FY 2022, the Department also released for public 

comment proposed changes to its regulations implementing 

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that 

would advance Title IX’s goal of ensuring that no person 
FY 2022 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 6 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (UNAUDITED)

experiences sex discrimination, sex-based harassment, or 

sexual violence in education and help elementary and 

secondary schools implement this vital legislation. 

The devastating and adverse impacts of the COVID-19 

pandemic exacerbated previously documented gaps in 

educational opportunity. The American Rescue Plan Act 

of 2021 (ARP) provides states and districts with critical 

resources to address these challenges. The $122 billion 

American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School 

Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund provides state 

educational agencies and local educational agencies (LEAs) 

flexible resources that can support hiring, preparing, and 

retaining high-quality teachers and school personnel to 

address teacher shortages and build a stronger pipeline for 

the future; promote learning acceleration, for example, 

through summer learning and enrichment and high-quality 

tutoring; and improve indoor air quality through upgrades 

to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. 

The ARP also requires that LEAs use 20 percent of their 

ARP ESSER allocation to address the academic impact 

of lost instructional time through the implementation 

of evidence-based interventions and that interventions 

respond to students’ social, emotional, and mental health 

and academic needs and address the disproportionate 

impact of COVID-19 on students. In FY 2022, the 

Department continued monitoring work around 

the COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Systems were 

implemented to ensure the Department was providing the 

required oversight and the technical systems to support 

states in addition to timely responses to guidance requests. 

The ARP further facilitates Strategic Goal 1 by providing 

much needed relief to help districts and schools recover and 

increase capacity to improve student outcomes and address 

historical inequities.

Strategic Goal 2: Support a diverse and talented 

educator workforce and professional growth to strengthen 

student learning.

Strategic Objective 2.1 Strengthen and diversify the educator 

pipeline and workforce.

Strategic Objective 2.2 Identify and promote evidence-based 

practices or strategies that support diverse 

districts (including rural districts) with high 

rates of poverty in recruiting, selecting, 

preparing, and retaining well-qualified 

(including in-field fully certified) and effective 

teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and 

specialized instructional support personnel.

Strategic Objective 2.3 Support the professional growth, retention, 

and advancement of talented, experienced 

educators and other school personnel and 

their capacity to meet the social, emotional, 

mental health, and academic needs of 

underserved students.

Strategic Goal 2 focuses on outcomes related to supporting 

and increasing diversity and talent in the educator workforce 

and professional growth. Teachers are essential to the learning 

and development of the students they serve. However, the 

educator workforce faces several challenges that limit students’ 

educational opportunities and place at risk the success of 

students, particularly those who have been underserved by 

education systems. In FY 2022, $16.3 billion was appropriated 

to the Department in support of Strategic Goal 2. 

It is essential to attract, prepare, support, develop, and 

retain a diverse, well-qualified, experienced, and effective 

pool of educators by ensuring candidates have access to 

high-quality comprehensive preparation programs, and that 

steps are taken to support and retain qualified, experienced, 

and effective educators. In FY 2022, the Department 

aligned 18 grant competitions focusing more than $414 

million in federal funding toward projects that are designed 

to advance diversity in the educator workforce and 

professional development. 

The Department is committed to and focused on making 

substantial progress in decreasing teacher shortages nationwide 

that have increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Therefore, the Department encourages the use of ARP ESSER 

funds to prepare and retain a diverse educator workforce. 

In FY 2022, the Department continued to provide several 

resources to state educational agencies and local educational 

agencies that focused on the use of American Rescue Plan 

(ARP) funds and provided concrete examples of how states, 

districts, and schools are using federal COVID-19 dollars to 

strengthen the teacher pipeline, get more educators in the 

classroom, and accelerate student recovery. Districts and higher 

education institutions are partnering to create and expand 

residency programs, offer paraprofessional internships, and 

get college graduates credentialed and in the classroom more 

quickly. These partnerships provide students across the country 
FY 2022 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 7 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

M A N A G E M E N T ’ S D I S C U S S I O N A N D A N A LY S I S ( U N A U D I T E D ) 

more classroom time working with qualified educators and 

addressing the academic impact of COVID-19.

Strategic Goal 3: Meet students’ social, emotional, and 

academic needs.

Strategic Objective 3.1 Support the development and 

implementation of multitiered systems of 

supports to increase students’ engagement; 

social, emotional, and mental health; wellbeing; and academic success.

Strategic Objective 3.2 Foster supportive, inclusive, and identitysafe learning environments and ensure the 

individual needs of underserved students 

are met through appropriately designed 

instruction, evidence-based practices, and 

related supports and services.

Strategic Objective 3.3 Strengthen learning environments, support 

professional development, and improve 

educator credentialing for emergent bilingual 

students and multilingual learners.

Strategic Goal 3 focuses on meeting students’ social, 

emotional, and academic needs. Learning and development 

across a student’s life span are influenced by several 

interrelated factors, including the individual’s social, 

emotional, academic, and career development. In FY 2022, 

$20.1 billion was appropriated to the Department in 

support of Strategic Goal 3. 

Research has shown that a safe, healthy, and equitable 

school climate that addresses students’ social and emotional 

development is associated with higher student attendance 

and engagement, improved student connectedness, and 

better social and emotional health. The Title IV, Part A 

Centers provide state educational agencies (SEAs) with 

dedicated support for implementing the Title IV, Part A 

(Title IV-A) Student Support and Academic Enrichment 

(SSAE) program. 

In support of Strategic Goal 3, the Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services issued Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act discipline guidance that 

included a Dear Colleague Letter, a question and answer 

document, and a companion technical assistance document 

that provides examples of proven practices to address 

inequities and disparities in the use of discipline, including 

exclusionary discipline practices. The Department supports 

the education community in creating and maintaining 

healthy school environments that can contribute to 

lifelong benefits.

Strategic Goal 4: Increase postsecondary value by focusing on 

equity-conscious strategies to address access to high-quality 

institutions, affordability, completion, post-enrollment success, 

and support for inclusive institutions.

Strategic Objective 4.1 Support educational institutions and state 

systems in efforts to raise academic quality 

and college completion for all students, 

especially for underserved students, such 

as first-generation students, students from 

low-income backgrounds, students of color, 

and students with disabilities.

Strategic Objective 4.2 Improve the administration of student 

aid programs to help eligible students 

receive aid; support borrowers in 

successfully repaying their loans, 

claiming loan forgiveness benefits, and 

mitigating student loan default; and hold 

contractors accountable.

Strategic Objective 4.3 Increase equitable access to secondary 

and postsecondary programs that have 

clear on-ramps to both high-quality jobs 

and additional high-quality postsecondary 

educational opportunities.

Strategic Objective 4.4 Improve the alignment across secondary, 

postsecondary, and career and technical 

education programs, including through 

transparent and effective transition 

processes, inclusive pathways, and clear 

credentialing requirements.

Strategic Goal 4 focuses on increasing the value of 

postsecondary education by addressing access, affordability, 

and degree and credential completion. The goal puts a 

particular emphasis on supporting educational institutions 

and state systems in their efforts to improve academic 

outcomes for all students and especially underserved 

student populations (i.e. first-generation, low-income 

background, students of color, and students with 

disabilities). In FY 2022, $91.9 billion was appropriated to 

support Goal 4.

In support of Goal 4, the Department announced the 

availability of $5 million in funds to support a new College 

Completion Fund for Postsecondary Student Success. 

The funding will support grants to Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, 

and Minority-Serving Institutions such as HispanicServing Institutions—many of which are community 

colleges—to invest in data-driven and evidence-based 

reforms that encourage postsecondary retention, transfer, 

and completion.
FY 2022 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 8 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (UNAUDITED)

Strategic Goal 5: Enhance the Department’s internal capacity to 

optimize the delivery of its mission.

Strategic Objective 5.1 Manage information technology as a 

strategic resource and driver to promote the 

advancement of the missions executed by 

the Department’s 21st-century workforce.

Strategic Objective 5.2 Strengthen agency-wide data governance 

and build capacity to improve data access, 

data management, and enterprise data 

analytics in support of agency goals. 

Strategic Objective 5.3 Recruit, retain, and develop the workforce 

needed to meet the Department’s mission 

now and into the future.

Strategic Objective 5.4 Deliver mission outcomes and value for 

taxpayers through efficient acquisition 

management and proactive industry 

partnerships while promoting small 

businesses.

Strategic Goal 5 is focused on continuously improving 

agency operations as the Department manages, engages, 

and empowers the workforce; purchases products and 

services; enhances and secures information technology 

resources; and leverages data to support evidencebased decision-making. In FY 2022, $59 million was 

appropriated to support Goal 5. 

In FY 2022, the Department was recognized for its 

leading-edge work in data governance and in the effective 

execution of the agency’s Data Maturity Assessment by 

the Partnership for Public Service. The Department was 

also recognized as a pioneer by the Data Foundation for 

its progress in the advancement of data literacy and data 

skill development across the agency. The Department has 

shared its effective practices in this space with numerous 

federal agencies including the Department of State, Office 

of National Defense Intelligence, and the Department 

of Health and Human Services. The Department also 

chairs a federal working group building a Federal Data 

Skills Catalog. 

The Department took immediate action in FY 2022 

regarding the Office of Management and Budget Memo 

M-22-09 Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero Trust 

Cybersecurity Principles by onboarding a GS-15 zero-trust 

architecture program manager and releasing a Department 

Strategy and project schedule for full implementation by 

the end of FY 2024.

Strategic Goal 5 prioritizes reducing potential procurement 

barriers and increasing procurement opportunities for 

small, underserved, and disadvantaged businesses. In 

support of Goal 5, 15.43% of contracts have been awarded 

to small business, which exceeds the goal of 14%. The 

Department also received an A on the FY 2021 Small 

Business Scorecard.
FY 2022 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT 9 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

M A N A G E M E N T ’ S D I S C U S S I O N A N D A N A LY S I S ( U N A U D I T E D ) 

THE DEPARTMENT’S AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS

The Department has identified three Agency Priority Goals (APGs) for FY 2022 and FY 2023 which seek to address the 

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively manage federal student loans, and reduce disparities in attainment of highquality degrees and credentials. 

APG 1 Address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, educators, and faculty. The Department will be 

a leader and partner in addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in educational areas. By September 30, 

2023, the Department will respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to continuously provide for 

high-quality educational environments and capabilities by supporting state educational agencies, local educational 

agencies, and institutions of higher education to:

• Continue to support schools in maintaining safe, fully in-person instructions for students.

• Utilize COVID-19 relief funds on appropriate, effective, and evidence-based activities to reengage students, 

address lost instructional time, and improve educational opportunities by offering 300+ Department-led technical 

assistance engagements.

Related Strategic 

Objectives

Strategic Objective 1.1: Prioritize the equitable and adequate distribution of resources to communities of 

concentrated poverty in an effort to provide underserved students with high-quality educational opportunities.

Strategic Objective 1.2: Ensure all students have access to well-rounded, rigorous, engaging, and diverse learning 

opportunities and environments to support their success in school.

Strategic Objective 3.1: Support the development and implementation of multitiered systems of supports to increase 

students’ engagement; social, emotional, and mental health; well-being; and academic success.

Strategic Objective 3.2: Foster supportive, inclusive, and identity-safe learning environments and ensure the 

individual needs of underserved students are met through appropriately designed instruction, evidence-based 

practices, and related supports and services.

APG 2 Effectively manage federal student loans. The Department will provide effective customer service for borrowers to 

simplify the student loan repayment process. By September 30, 2023, Federal Student Aid will improve loan servicer 

quality and accuracy to levels at or above 95 percent, as defined in student loan servicer agreements.

Related Strategic 

Objective

Strategic Objective 4.2: Improve the administration of student aid programs to help eligible students receive aid; 

support borrowers in successfully repaying their loans, claiming loan forgiveness benefits, and mitigating student loan 

default; and hold contractors accountable.

APG 3 Reduce disparities in attainment of high-quality degrees and credentials. The Department will support institutions 

and states to assist low-income students and students of color to enroll in and complete high-quality postsecondary 

education programs, including at community colleges and through career and technical training. By September 30, 

2023, the Department will increase the number and diversity of higher education grant applicants from community 

colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges or Universities, Minority-Serving 

Institutions, and public four-year colleges by 5 percent to support and assist low-income students and students of color 

in attaining improved educational outcomes.

Related Strategic 

Objective

Strategic Objective 4.1: Support educational institutions and state systems in efforts to raise academic quality and 

college completion for all students, especially for underserved students, such as first-generation students, students 

from low-income backgrounds, students of color, and students with disabilities.

Strategic Objective 4.2: Improve the administration of student aid programs to help eligible students receive aid; 

support borrowers in successfully repaying their loans, claiming loan forgiveness benefits, and mitigating student loan 

default; and hold contractors accountable.