Also known as Title II-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the program is a significant source of funding for the professional development of teachers, principals and school leaders. According to the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a professional organization for K-12 ed-tech leaders, this funding is crucial to keep educators up to speed on best practices for digital teaching and learning.
Both CoSN and the State Educational Technology Directors Association released statements this week voicing strong opposition to the proposed elimination of ESEA Title II-A funding.
“Professional development is not just beneficial, it’s essential for promoting the effective, safe and ethical use of technologies in our classrooms,” CoSN CEO Keith Krueger said in the public statement. “Now more than ever, teachers and school leaders need support to harness the potential of technology, especially given the rise of AI in learning, the constant threat of costly cyber attacks, and other pressing issues in education technology.”
In a 350-page legislative report that accompanies the new bill, the House Appropriations Committee says it does not intend to provide fiscal year 2025 funding for the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program because “this funding has not been shown to improve teacher quality or advance student achievement.” That report also cites a 2023 report from the Department of Education, regarding the use of Title II-A funds in 2021-2022, that found 78 percent of school districts had used the funds for teacher professional development on topics related to “content knowledge.” The legislative report further says the committee “is concerned that school districts are using these federal funds to train teachers in divisive ideologies.”