ESSER Funding Opportunities


Districts should utilize federal funding effectively and could consider using the ESSER fund for the following Strategic Levers:

These strategic levers are guiding principles for the recommendations presented in this toolkit.

SHORT-TERM INITIATIVES

Short-term initiatives (over the next three years) as opposed to long-term programming are important so as not to suffer from the fiscal cliff once funding ends. For example, districts should consider using funds to hire additional staff on a contract basis instead of establishing new full-time positions.

BUILDING CAPACITY

Building capacity, like infrastructure, through single time costs that will continue to be valuable for years to come . For example, offering stipends for certificates is an effective way to spend ESSER money because it is a long lasting investment in teacher quality.

DIFFERENTIATION

Texas is a diverse state and needs among children, families, and school districts vary by region. In planning for the use of ESSER funds, consider the local context and which strategies might work best to address the specific needs of the students and families in a particular district. Be wary of any product or strategy that claims to work equally well in any classroom with any student.

Throughout the toolkit, this icon denotes a resource or strategy identified as an ESSER funding opportunity.

Key example of concrete strategies districts should consider funding to implement these Strategic Levers:

1. STANDARDIZED CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT PACKAGES

Using ESSER funding to invest in an aligned PreK-3rd grade curriculum, assessments and professional development system will ensure a strong early learning foundation that exceeds our state’s 3rd grade reading and math benchmarks, as well as set the trajectory for success in 4-12th grade.

Explore our recommendations here.

2. READING ACADEMIES

Utilizing funds on Reading Academies allows Early Education Allotment dollars to instead be used to expand Pre-K and training more teachers in a single year

While Reading Academies now have until June 2023 to be completed, we recommend using ESSER funding to accelerate completion of the K-3 Reading Academies in 2021-22. Reading Academies provide early grades teachers with foundational pedagogical and literary content and concrete strategies that can support students with individualized reading supports, critical to ensuring students get back on track to reading proficiency. By prioritizing Reading Academies this school year, teachers will have the knowledge and skills to support student learning post-COVID and early education allotment funds previously allocated to Reading Academies can be used for other strategies, like Pre-K expansion.

Explore our recommendations here.

3. CLASS IMPLEMENTATION

The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is a classroom observation tool that measures the quality of interactions within a classroom. It is a nationally researched and implemented tool used in classrooms from infant to 12th grade. Locally, since 2013, Dallas ISD CLASS observation results have shown an 82% - 99% correlation between BOY K-2 Literacy Assessment and prior-year CLASS quality measures. Teachers who receive CLASS observations and coaching from instructional specialists aligned to the CLASS framework see greater student academic growth than those who just receive observations.

CLASS has demonstrated its impact on student social, emotional and academic outcomes and provides teachers with the critical building blocks of how to support student learning, before and during COVID. We believe that CLASS can be a integral COVID recovery coaching tool that will support teachers to build back a strong instructional and social-emotional learning environment that meets the needs of all students and unprecedented ESSER and ARP funds can cover the one-time, upfront costs to train teachers, administrators, and instructional coaches in the next 1-3 years through a sustainable model that will then allow each district to continue using the tools and frameworks in perpetuity at a minimal cost per student.

For more information on CLASS implementation and three-year phase-in recommendation, see our implementation toolkit here <link coming soon>.

Explore our recommendations here.

4. EXPANSION OF PK PARTNERSHIPS TOWARDS UNIVERSAL PK

ESSER funds can be used to launch or expand Universal Pre-K options in districts including allocating funding to public and private/non-profit Pre-K partnerships with childcare providers. Now is the time to align recovery resources and efforts across sectors.

See TEA’s website for information on Early Learning Partnerships.

5. TRAUMA-INFORMED TRAININGS

Read about the current context of Collective Trauma and then learn about the importance of using ESSER funding for trauma-informed trainings and practice in this post by Conscious Discipline.

See here for some upcoming training sessions offered by the Momentous Institute.

Explore our recommendations here.