Foster Systemic Change, Promote Sustainable Growth, and Accelerate Student Learning
To support schools and districts in addressing the ongoing impact of COVID-19, Congress provided a much-needed, second round of federal funds in December of 2020 through the passage of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II (ESSER II). For New Jersey schools, this translates into $1.2 billion; allocations by district can be found here. In addition to the funds awarded to school districts, the NJDOE has also designated $75 million to establish the Learning Acceleration Grant and and $30 million to establish the Mental Health Grant. The deadline for submitting an application is May 14.
How You Can Use ESSER Funds
The NJDOE has provided guidance on allowable uses of ESSER II funds. To address pandemic-related learning challenges, a district can use these funds in a variety of ways including assessments, instructional materials, professional learning, and extended time for professional learning communities (PLCs). Allowable uses for ESSER II funds can be found on this NJDOE Webinar on Using ESSER Funds – YouTube link and PowerPoint.
How You Should Use ESSER Funds
FEA provides professional learning (synchronous and asynchronous) and coaching to support leadership teams, professional learning communities, and individual educators. ESSER Funds can be used to provide your school or district with sustainable training through a multitude of opportunities that will extend its impact beyond ESSER II, including:
- The Connected Action Roadmap: A Systemic Process for Strengthening Teaching, Learning, and Leading
- Assessment Literacy and The Power of Formative Assessment
- Identifying and Analyzing Pre-Requisite Skills in ELA and Math (grades K-12)
- Ensuring Equitable Access to High-Quality Instruction
- Meeting the Needs of our Most Vulnerable Populations
- Infusing Social-Emotional Competencies in Daily Classroom Instruction
- Strengthening School Climate
- Implementing Healing-Centered Engagement Practices
- And Many More…
At FEA, we work with districts every day to implement systemic processes that provide teachers with the tools they need to assess students relative to grade level standards, identify unfinished learning needs, and provide equitable access to high-quality, targeted instruction for all students. Accelerating learning while filling in the gaps faced by each student is the key to addressing the challenges of today’s classrooms. Critical to this solution is the collaborative work of teacher teams in identifying student learning outcomes, implementing aligned formative assessments, and collaboratively planning for instruction that organically embeds SEL competencies.
Partner with FEA and join the…
- 550+ New Jersey school districts participating in FEA Professional Learning
- 500+ New Jersey schools supported by FEA coaching
- 2,000+ New Jersey teachers implementing CAR
Contact Donna McInerney at dmcinerney@njpsa.org to discuss your next steps.