Department of Education

IMPROVING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers ............................................................................. A-1

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................ A-2

Activity: 

Elementary and secondary education for the disadvantaged block grant............................ A-3

State Table* 

State tables reflecting final 2019 allocations and 2020 and 2021 estimates are posted on the 

Department’s webpage at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html

IMPROVING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

A-1 

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2019 2020 2021 

Discretionary:

Discretionary Appropriation ................................................ 0 0 $19,363,430

 Total, discretionary appropriation.............. 0 0 19,363,430

Advance:

Advance for succeeding fiscal year .............. 0 0 -12,522,618

Advance from prior year ............................... 0 0 0

Total, budget authority ............................. 0 0 6,840,812
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2020

Authorized

2020

Estimate

2021

Authorized

2021

Request

Elementary and secondary education for the 

disadvantaged block grant (Proposed legislation)... 0 0

To be 

determined $19,363,430
IMPROVING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

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Elementary and secondary education for the disadvantaged block 

grant 

(Proposed legislation) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from 

2020 to 2021

Annual appropriation 0 $6,840,812 +$6,840,812

Advance for succeeding 

fiscal year 0 12,522,618 +12,522,618

Total 0 19,363,430 +19,363,430

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The proposed Elementary and Secondary Education for the Disadvantaged Block Grant (ESED 

Block Grant) would consolidate nearly all currently funded formula and competitive grant 

programs authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as well as 

several related programs, into a single State and local formula grant program. In return for 

meeting key ESEA transparency and accountability provisions, States and school districts would 

have flexibility to use ESED Block Grant funds for any authorized purpose of the programs 

consolidated into the block grant. This would include all activities authorized under Title I, 

Title II-A (Supporting Effective Instruction), Title III-A (English Language Acquisition), and 

Title IV-A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment).

States would continue to meet key ESEA accountability and reporting requirements aimed at 

protecting students, supporting meaningful school improvement efforts, and giving parents the 

information they need to support a high-quality education for their children. More specifically, 

under the ESED Block Grant, States would continue to submit accountability plans that would 

set statewide performance goals and targets, identify and address achievement and attainment 

gaps for all ESEA subgroups, ensure continued reporting on achievement and other key 

metrics, and require rigorous interventions for the bottom 5 percent of schools, as well as those 

schools with the largest subgroup achievement and attainment gaps.

Similarly, LEAs would develop and submit to their States for approval plans consistent with 

those currently required by section 1112 of the ESEA, which includes provisions describing how 

LEAs will meet the needs of students at risk of failing to meet challenging State academic 

standards, including economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and 
IMPROVING ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

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ethnic groups, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, homeless children 

and youth, and neglected and delinquent students.

Funds would be allocated by formula to local educational agencies (LEAs) using the same four 

formulas currently authorized under Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies: Basic Grants, 

Concentration Grants, Targeted Grants, and Education Finance Incentive Grants. The 

Department would reserve $5 million from funds appropriated for the ESED Block Grant to pay 

for LEA-level population and poverty updates from Census that would be required for the four 

allocation formulas, consistent with the current practice under the Title I program.

Each State would receive a single grant reflecting the aggregate allocations of ESED Block 

Grant funds to its LEAs. States would have discretion to reserve up to 10 percent of their 

combined LEA allocations, including a minimum of 5 percent to support school improvement 

activities and up to 1 percent for administration. States would determine how to allocate school 

improvement funds to best support schools identified for improvement under State-determined 

accountability systems. Remaining State-level funds could be used for a broad range of ESEAauthorized purposes, including, for example, providing start-up and facilities funding for public 

charter schools, identifying and disseminating evidence-based interventions for improving 

student and school outcomes, strengthening teacher preparation and support, and improving 

school climate and safety.

States would allocate at least 90 percent of ESED Block Grant funds to LEAs, including public 

charter school LEAs, using the Title I formulas, and LEAs would allocate funds to schools using 

the rank order provisions in section 1113 of the ESEA, which generally require LEAs to give 

priority to their highest poverty schools.

The Department would be authorized to reserve up to 1/10 of 1 percent of ESED Block Grant 

funds for technical assistance, evaluation, and information dissemination related to Block Grant 

implementation. Up to $5 million of this reservation would be available for the Project SERV 

program, which provides grants to LEAs and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help 

restore the learning environment following a violent or traumatic incident.

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Department requests $19.4 billion for a new Elementary and 

Secondary Education for the Disadvantaged Block Grant (ESED Block Grant) that would 

combine 29 Federal elementary and secondary education programs into a single State and local

formula grant program, with funds allocated through the same formulas used by the Title I 

Grants to Local Educational Agencies program. This proposal builds on the 2015 Every Student 

Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorized the ESEA and sought to restore State and local 

control over education by significantly reducing the mandates from Washington accompanying 

Federal education funds.

Discretionary grant competitions and federally managed national activities would be phased out 

under the ESED Block Grant proposal because the Administration has concluded that it would 

be more productive to transfer authority over those funds to States and local districts, which are 

better situated to target resources to improve student outcomes based on local needs and 
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conditions. By eliminating its grant competitions and national activities, the Department will be 

able to significantly reduce staffing and administrative costs over time. The consolidation of 

most ESEA programs into a single formula grant program would also eliminate Federal burdens

that have inhibited innovation and allow State and local educators to drive meaningful 

improvements in educational outcomes for all students.

The ESED Block Grant fulfills the purposes of the ESEA while respecting local needs and 

context. Building on ESSA’s policy direction, the ESED Block Grant would further scale back the 

Federal role in education and empower State and local educators to determine how best to use 

Federal resources. The Administration’s proposal would minimize Federal intrusion in local 

schools while continuing to provide significant resources that support State-led efforts to 

improve educational outcomes for our most vulnerable children. States would continue to submit 

accountability plans that would set statewide performance goals and targets, identify and 

address achievement and attainment gaps for all ESEA subgroups, ensure continued reporting 

on achievement and other key metrics, and require rigorous interventions for the bottom 

5 percent of schools, as well as those schools with the largest subgroup achievement and 

attainment gaps.

In addition, the $19.4 billion request for the ESED Block Grant would make a critical contribution 

to restoring fiscal discipline and limiting the Federal role in education by saving $4.8 billion from 

the comparable 2020 enacted level for consolidated programs.

The ESSA reauthorized the ESEA through fiscal year 2020, and the Administration’s 2021 

request for the ESED Block Grant opens the debate over the future shape of the ESEA. The 

Administration’s proposal recognizes that most ESEA funds already flow to States and school 

districts through separately authorized formula grant programs that are administered primarily 

through Consolidated ESEA State Plans. The ESED Block would take the next logical step and 

consolidate the funding supporting those State Plans into a single State and local formula grant.

The ESED Block Grant would retain the key principles of the ESSA, which recognized that the 

primary responsibility for creating, improving, and sustaining public education systems lies with 

States and local school districts:

• Holding all students to high academic standards that prepare them for success in college 

and careers;

• Annual reporting on key information about students and schools, including data on 

achievement and graduation rates; measures of school climate, quality, and safety; the 

professional qualifications of teachers; and per-pupil expenditures for each school and 

district; 

• Requiring that when students and schools fall behind, steps are taken to help them 

improve, with a particular focus on the lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I schools, 

high schools with low graduation rates, and schools where subgroups, including 

students from low-income families, English learners, students with disabilities, and 

students of color, are falling behind; and
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• Empowering State and local decision makers to continue to refine their own systems for 

school improvement.

The Request would maintain separate funding for State Assessments that underpin ESEAmandated State-determined accountability systems, Training and Advisory Services authorized 

by Title IV of the Civil Rights Act, Supplemental Education Grants required by the Compact of 

Free Association Amendments Act of 2003, the Impact Aid programs that offset the loss of 

education revenue due to the Federal presence, and Indian Education programs.

The Department would reserve up to $19.4 million for technical assistance, evaluation, and 

dissemination, including the identification and sharing of best practices for improving lowperforming schools and giving parents the information they need to support a high-quality 

education for their children. Up to $5 million of this reservation would be available for Project 

SERV grants that help LEAs and IHEs recover from violent or traumatic events that have 

disrupted the learning environment. 

During initial implementation of the ESED Block Grant, the Department also would reserve 

funds to pay continuation awards to existing grantees under competitive grant programs 

consolidated into the ESED Block Grant. Such reservations would continue for up to 

4 years to pay existing grantees through the end of their approved project periods. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2021

Amount for grants1 $19,339,067

Range of awards $12,405–$2,365,223

Number of awards 57

Technical assistance, dissemination, and evaluation $19,363

1

Includes an estimated $983,011 thousand for continuation awards to current competitive grant recipients. 

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

The Department will establish goals and performance indicators to assess the impact of State 

and local activities supported through this program, based in part on the targets and goals

established by grantees in their State and local accountability plans. The Department also

would measure overall grantee performance by looking at such measures as student academic 

achievement, graduation rates, and performance gaps among student subgroups.
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OTHER PROGRAM INFORMATION

Programs to be consolidated into the ESED Block Grant

FORMULA GRANT PROGRAMS (9) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAMS (20)

Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants

Migrant State Grants Innovative Approaches to Literacy

Neglected and Delinquent State Grants High School Equivalency Program

Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants Native Hawaiian Education

21st Century Community Learning Centers Alaska Native Education

Education for Homeless Children and Youths Comprehensive Centers

Rural Education School Safety National Activities

Student Support and Academic Enrichment 

Grants

Promise Neighborhoods

Full-Service Community Schools

English Language Acquisition Grants Education Innovation and Research

Teacher and School Leader Incentive Grants

American History and Civics Education

Supporting Effective Educator Development

Charter Schools Grants

Magnet Schools Assistance

Ready to Learn Programming

Arts in Education

Javits Gifted and Talented Education

Statewide Family Engagement Centers

Teacher Quality Partnership
A-8