That's what we are talking about here. Public schools get a lot of money to spend each year. A lot of this money is in the form of grants. The problem is that someone has to decide how to spend it while also making sure to follow guidelines laid out by the district or state. This is not an easy job and it may need to be a team effort. Making these decisions needs to be considered carefully with a well thought-out plan.
There are two basic types of grants that are available: entitlement grants and competitive grants. Entitlement grants include Title I, Title VI, and Eisenhower funds. Schools that qualify for Title I grants must have high numbers of low-income families. The best thing about these grants is that there are so many options of how the money can be used. Each school can use these funds to purchase supplies, instructional materials, programs, and technology.
Technology is one of the best investments to make using entitlement grants. So many students in low-income schools would never have access to certain technology. It is important that we are able to provide opportunities for these students to learn how to use technology if we want to prepare them for the best possible future outcomes. Title I funding must use some of the funds to create opportunities for parental involvement. The video below is a brief description of examples of how families can become involved with schools through Title I engagements.
With competitive grants, schools must provide a proposal to compete for funding with other schools. These grants are awarded using criteria of organizations that provide the funding. This could be used for specific projects that cannot be funded through other means.
The main point here is that schools are funded from many sources, we just have to allocate them in the best way. It is the responsibility of the school to do the research on what those ways are. As a future leader in my own school, I have many ideas that would help improve student learning, teacher preparedness, and family involvement. I would love for these funds to provide students with some opportunities to be involved in new clubs and organizations that focus on using technology in ways that they do not do in the classrooms. Even to offer new courses that could teach students real world uses and problem solving with technology. Students today think they know everything about technology but most of them only know cell phones and how to use those apps. They need to be learning real computer skills that will prepare them for jobs when they graduate. Some students may not attend college and need to have those opportunities in K-12 schools, so they can be successful in the future. I hope that I will be able to have my ideas heard or implemented someday.
Resources
Frazier, M., & Hearrington, D. (2017). The Technology Coordinator's handbook. International Society for Technology in Education.
YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYaJRFQzH1w
Education Week. (2021, June 7). The Every Student Succeeds Act: Explained. Education Week. Retrieved March 15, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-every-student-succeeds-act-explained/2015/12
