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Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: What Districts Are Prioritizing with the New Flexibilities under ESSA's Title IV-A Program. Evaluation Report. NCEE 2026-003r

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Title: Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: What Districts Are Prioritizing with the New Flexibilities under ESSA's Title IV-A Program. Evaluation Report. NCEE 2026-003r
Language: English
Authors: Ellen Bobronnikov, Rebecca McGill-Wilkinson, Cristofer Price, Barbara Goodson, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) (ED/IES), Abt Global
Source: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. 2026.
Availability: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 22
Publication Date: 2026
Contract Number: EDPEP16A0003
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Federal Aid, Block Grants, Federal Programs, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, School Districts, Educational Finance, Expenditures, Resource Allocation
Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: Every Student Succeeds Act 2015
Abstract: Federal policy has long financed schools' efforts to be safe and supportive and to offer varied educational opportunities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects on student learning and well-being have raised the stakes for how school systems support students' success. The pandemic began shortly after the initial implementation of a key change to the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA): the creation of the new Student Support and Academic Enrichment program (Title IV, Part A, or "Title IV-A," of ESEA). The program is a consolidation of more than 10 programs--each with different objectives, requirements, and funding--into one. Although the consolidation was intended to give districts (and states) greater flexibility in using federal dollars, Congress also signaled expectations for how districts should determine what services and activities to provide and to which kinds of schools. This report examines the extent to which districts aligned their implementation with Congressional expectations. Prior to the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), the last major effort to block grant federal educational programs was in 1981, and policymakers continue to discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of consolidating programs in this way. This report helps inform that debate by drawing on surveys from all states and a nationally representative sample of districts. It focuses on how districts spent their funds in the 2021-2022 school year, a year of transition after the height of the school disruptions stemming from the pandemic. This timing sought to balance policymakers' immediate interest in how Title IV-A was being implemented with their interest in obtaining information that was not wholly unique to the pandemic period.
Abstractor: ERIC
IES Funded: Yes
IES Publication: https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/evaluation-report/student-support-and-academic-enrichment-grants-what-districts-are-prioritizing-new-flexibilities-0
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678709
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: What Districts Are Prioritizing with the New Flexibilities under ESSA's Title IV-A Program. Evaluation Report. NCEE 2026-003r
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  Data: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Available from: ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/
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  Data: Federal policy has long financed schools' efforts to be safe and supportive and to offer varied educational opportunities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects on student learning and well-being have raised the stakes for how school systems support students' success. The pandemic began shortly after the initial implementation of a key change to the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA): the creation of the new Student Support and Academic Enrichment program (Title IV, Part A, or "Title IV-A," of ESEA). The program is a consolidation of more than 10 programs--each with different objectives, requirements, and funding--into one. Although the consolidation was intended to give districts (and states) greater flexibility in using federal dollars, Congress also signaled expectations for how districts should determine what services and activities to provide and to which kinds of schools. This report examines the extent to which districts aligned their implementation with Congressional expectations. Prior to the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), the last major effort to block grant federal educational programs was in 1981, and policymakers continue to discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of consolidating programs in this way. This report helps inform that debate by drawing on surveys from all states and a nationally representative sample of districts. It focuses on how districts spent their funds in the 2021-2022 school year, a year of transition after the height of the school disruptions stemming from the pandemic. This timing sought to balance policymakers' immediate interest in how Title IV-A was being implemented with their interest in obtaining information that was not wholly unique to the pandemic period.
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      – SubjectFull: Federal Aid
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      – SubjectFull: Block Grants
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