The American Rescue Plan, also known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, was the largest one-time money infusion into the K-12 school system from the government ever. ESSER funds were distributed in three batches totaling $190 billion.
The third and most recent batch, approved by Congress in March 2021, provided schools with $121.9 billion to help students catch up after time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With ESSER funds set to expire soon, school leaders are determining how to spend the remaining money and what they will do when they no longer have this federal funding.
The obligation deadline for ESSER III funds is in September 2024. The spending deadline for the funds is January 28, 2025. However, many school districts are already getting less money and are easing back toward pre-pandemic spending levels.
A recent survey by AASA (The School Superintendents Association) found that school leaders’ top priorities for the remaining funds are increasing instructional time and investing in high-quality curriculum materials.
As the supplemental funding ends, many districts anticipate layoffs of teaching specialists and instructional coaches, and scaling back recovery-focused programs, including tutoring and summer learning. Some hope that their state will jump in and provide funding after ESSER funds expire.
Addressing the impact of the pandemic has been incredibly challenging for schools. One thing for sure is that coronavirus response and relief from schools cannot end now, especially when so many students still need additional support and further catching up.
Studies are just now putting numbers to the learning loss K-12 students experienced during the height of the pandemic. The statistics may be disheartening at first, but we know that evidence-based interventions can help with learning loss recovery. Over the last several years, Math & Movement has explored kinesthetic teaching strategies as one of those interventions.
School districts must reserve at least 20% of their ESSER III allocation to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through by implementing evidence-based interventions. Math & Movement fits the ESSER funds’ allowable uses, and our team is here to help you get started.
Student data proves the effectiveness of kinesthetic learning. Our collection of kinesthetic teaching materials covers just about every elementary math and reading lesson you can think of. Movement can easily be incorporated into the subjects students need the most help with.
Our products are high-quality and made to last. Many teachers have used their Math & Movement floor mats for over ten years. Plus, our materials can be used across multiple grade levels, allowing the maximum number of students to benefit from movement-based learning.
Not sure how to get started with kinesthetic learning? No problem – we also offer professional development trainings to help teachers adopt and embrace a multi-sensory teaching style.
Even when ESSER funds expire, movement-based learning won’t. Kinesthetic strategies can become a new permanent aspect of your teaching curriculum. Consider using your district’s American Rescue Plan funds to add movement-based learning to your classrooms this school year.
Arundel, Kara. “How Are Districts Preparing for the End of American Rescue Plan Funds?” K-12 Dive, Industry Dive, 23 Aug. 2023, www.k12dive.com/news/superintendent-survey-American-Rescue-Plan-spending/691622/.
Lumpkin, Lauren. “Schools Brace for Challenges as Once-in-a-Lifetime Cash Runs Out.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Apr. 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/04/18/schools-covid-relief-spending-aftermath/.
Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik.
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