States and school districts across the nation have received funding over the past 3 years through Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants to address learning loss and support students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health. Over the next two years state and district leaders will be facing two high-leverage problems that include 1) ensuring that American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER funds are being used effectively to address learning loss and student well-being and 2) planning for longer-term recovery efforts and how to sustain them after ARP ESSER funding expires.
R9CC is collaborating with state and district leaders in Iowa to plan and facilitate a Community of Practice (CoP) for school district leaders focused on effective implementation and sustainability of evidence-based programs and promising practices supported with ARP ESSER funds. Through the CoP sessions, school district leaders will identify a common problem of practice related to effective implementation of their ARP ESSER plans, identify and discuss relevant evidence-based strategies within their plans, and plan for sustainability of effective practices in their individual contexts.