2009-10 ARRA Funding for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

Organization: Data Quality Campaign

Date: Mar 2010

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) providing billions of dollars in new education funding to states and localities, including funds to implement statewide longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement. The economic stimulus funding is divided into distinct funding streams and will be accounted for separately. Information and guidance on how this process will work, the timeline for distribution, and guidance on how states and localities should apply for funds is posted here for your convenience, and on the U.S. Department of Education’s Recovery Act Web site for more information.


What’s New

Race to the Top

The Department of Education announced that 15 states and the District of Columbia will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition. Race to the Top is the Department's $4.35 billion effort to dramatically re-shape America's educational system to better engage and prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace.

Finalists include Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

For more information, read the press release.

Investing in Innovation Fund

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Department of Education's final priorities and the grant application for the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). Applications will be due in mid-May and grants will be awarded in September. In the coming weeks, officials from the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement will hold informational workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver that will be web-accessible. President Obama has proposed an additional $500 million of the i3 program in his fiscal 2011 budget.


Data Quality Campaign Analyses and Information

Race to the Top

  • Race to the Top (RTT): DQC Analysis of Final Requirements Pertaining to State Data Systems, November 2009
    23 DQC partners submitted comments on August 28, 2009 in response to the Notice of Proposed Priorities for the Race to the Top Fund (ED-2009-OESE-0006); the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) released the final requirements on November 12. This analysis provides an overview of how these requirements compare to the comments provided to the Department from DQC Partners.
  • DQC Comments on the Race to the Top Fund, August 2009
    This letter provides comments and recommendations in response to the notice published in the Federal Register of July 29, 2009 regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top Fund.
  • DQC Race to the Top Preliminary Analysis, July 2009
    Preliminary analysis conducted by the Data Quality Campaign of the proposed priorities released by the U.S. Department of Education related to the Race to the Top Fund.

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grants

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Grants

  • State Fiscal Stabilization Fund: DQC Analysis of Final Requirements Pertaining to State Data Systems, November 2009
    23 DQC partners submitted comments on August 28, 2009 in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (ED-2009-OESE-0007); the U.S. Department of Education released the final requirements on November 9. This analysis provides an overview of how the final requirements compare to the comments provided to the Department from DQC Partners.
  • DQC Comments on the Statewide Fiscal Stabilization Fund, August 2009
    This letter provides comments and recommendations in response to the notice published in the Federal Register of July 29, 2009 on State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Investing in Innovation Fund

  • DQC Comments on the Investing in Innovation Fund, November 2009
    This letter provides comments on the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Investing in Innovation competitive grants published in the Federal Register on October 9, 2009.

More DQC Information

Leveraging Federal Funding for Longitudinal Data Systems - A Roadmap for States. (September 2009). This interactive roadmap transforms the printed version and will be continually updated, so check back often. This roadmap provides a starting point for state plans by identifying federal funding sources that can be used for data-related activities.
Leveraging ARRA and Other Federal Funding Sources for P-20/Workforce Longitudinal Data Systems--Webcast. (September 2009). This meeting served to position the linkage of student-level data across sectors as integral to the national education improvement agenda and will showcase a state that has accomplished critical linkages in a short time through strong leadership and vision.
ARRA Webinar PowerPoint: RTT, SFSF, and SLDS Grants. (August 2009). This presentation was prepared for a webinar presented by the DQC on August 7, 2009 to discuss the July 24th Federal Register release of the Race to the Top notice, State Fiscal Stabilization Fund metrics, and Student Longitudinal Data System grants.
A Briefing Prepared for the 2009 Governors Education Symposium. (June 2009). This brief recommends actions for states to improve their longitudinal data systems to meet the ARRA assurances and ultimately to improve student achievement.
ARRA Support for State Longitudinal Data Systems. (June 2009). This document offers a synthesis of the statutory language and subsequent guidance around data and the ARRA, including a comparison between the America COMPETES Act and the DQC 10 Essential Elements.
DQC Summary of the Education and Training Provisions in ARRA. (April 2009). This document is a DQC summary of the Education and Training provisions in ARRA.
Phase II and Stimulus Funding Presentation. (March 2009). This presentation covers the opportunities for data funding under ARRA.


Federal Guidance and Information

The U.S. Department of Education publishes instructions and policy guidance on how to apply for economic stimulus funding and on the uses of funds under the Act. Here is the official guidance issued by the Department for use, in particular, by state and local education officials applying for the funds.

Race to the Top

On July 24, 2009, President Obama announced draft guidelines for applying for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RTT) Fund. The Secretary determines which states receive grants based on information from the State Fiscal Stabilization applications in 2009, which demonstrate the state’s progress towards implementing significant education reforms across four “assurance” areas – one requiring states to build data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices. Comments were due August 28, 2009. Applications for the first round were due January 19, 2010.

In addition, with the Fiscal Year 2011 budget request President Obama announced his intention to make a significant new investment - more than $1.3 billion to continue the Race to the Top. The President also announced his intention to expand the competition to include local school districts that are committed to reform.

For additional details about the Race to the Top program, please review the following:

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grants

In conjunction with the Race to the Top announcement, the U.S. Department of Education released the Request for Applications for the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grants under ARRA. The economic stimulus package included new funding totaling $250 million for statewide longitudinal data systems. The Institute of Education Sciences will distribute the $250 million in competitive grants to states to help states implement and use statewide longitudinal data systems that include not only education data for elementary and secondary students, (reflecting the 10 essential elements promoted by the Data Quality Campaign), but also pre-k, postsecondary, and workforce information. The submission deadline for applications was December 4, 2009.

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Grants

The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program provides approximately $48.6 billion in formula grants to States to help stabilize State and local budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in education and other essential services, in exchange for a State’s commitment to advance essential education reform in key areas. Almost $36.8 billion have already been awarded during SFSF Phase I. Approximately $11.5 billion will be awarded under SFSF Phase II.

In March 2009, the U.S. Department of Education announced the first phase of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

Investing in Innovation Fund

The U.S. Department of Education released priorities for grants under the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). The fund, which is part of the $5 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support local efforts to start or expand research-based innovative programs that help close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for students. Comments were due November 9, 2009.

Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply for i3 grants, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts to submit applications. Colleges and universities, companies and other stakeholders can be supporters of the projects. Applicants must demonstrate their previous success in closing achievement gaps, improving student progress toward proficiency, increasing graduation rates, or recruiting and retaining high- quality teachers and principals. Grant recipients will be required to match federal funds with public or private dollars. Successful applicants will need to demonstrate how their programs will be sustainable after their federal grants are completed.

The i3 program is built around five key design principles: outcomes—student achievement, matriculation and graduation; evidence—quality and relevance; learning—quality and importance of potential insights; sustainability—financial and stakeholder support; and scalability—strategy, capacity and feasibility.

Applications will be due in mid-May and grants will be awarded in September. In March officials from the Department's Office of Innovation and Improvement will hold informational workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver that will be web-accessible. President Obama has proposed an additional $500 million of the i3 program in his fiscal 2011 budget.

Additional Federal Grant Opportunities

IDEA, Section 611 and Title I, Part A Proposed Notice, August 2009
The proposed adjustments would allow State educational agencies (SEAs) to reserve State administrative funds from their fiscal year (FY) 2009 ARRA allocations under Title I, part A and section 611 of IDEA to help defray the costs of data collections that are specifically related to ARRA funding for these programs (including, for Title I, part A, data collection related to waivers). Comments were due September 16, 2009.

School Improvement Grant Proposed Notice, August 2009
On August 27, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced draft requirements for $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement grants to turn around the nation's lowest performing schools. Proposed requirements for the grants have been published in the Federal Register, providing a 30-day comment period on the criteria. Title I School Improvement Grants are funded by $546 million in the fiscal year 2009 appropriation and an additional $3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to support the transformational changes that are needed to turn around the nation's lowest-achieving schools.

More Federal Guidance

Recovery Act Web Site. (Updated Regularly). This site provides additional information on applications and guidance for other programs in the stimulus package not directly tied to data system implementation and use for improving student achievement being monitored by the Data Quality Campaign.
Stimulus Programs Fact Sheet. (March 2009). This face sheet provides additional information regarding the stimulus program.
Initial Guidance on How and When Stimulus Funding Will be Made Available. (March 2009). On March 7, 2009, the Department of Education issued initial information on the timetable for distributing most stimulus funding and how states and localities should apply for funds. Information about how funds should be used was not included in this release, but is included in the individual program application guidelines.
Other Education Programs – Excerpts from the Law. (March 2009). These excerpts are parts of ARRA that relate to programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (other than the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which is provided in a separate document).
ARRA Presentation – Goals, Deadlines, Content and Funding Levels. (March 2009). This presentation on ARRA discusses goals, deadlines, content, and funding levels.

Additional Information and Explanations of Funding Opportunities

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