American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

There were lots of questions at yesterday’s RM interim results presentation about education budgets in the US. The stimulus package – officially the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) –  introduced by Obama in his first 100 days US budgets was of particular interest.

Apple has published an extremely helpful white paper, available here, which explains the education elements of the ARRA with a high level of detail. The summary says this

In the short term, the stimulus package is designed to shore up battered state budgets, save or create jobs, aid districts in meeting federal requirements, modernize school buildings, and increase students’ access to educational opportunities — from Head Start programs for preschoolers to broadband access for underserved students, K–12 classroom technology resources, and increased Pell grants and research funding for higher education.

In the long term, if states and districts make wise use of the new funding opportunities, the stimulus package could better position a generation of young people to meet the challenges they face in a changing world. In an era of global competition and rapid technological change, preparing students to meet the new and different expectations for life and work is an urgent public priority. Creating a highly skilled workforce fit for the 21st century is an essential investment in America’s future.

The White Paper includes an Appendix setting out the various lines of the budget. Areas significant to RM include:

• £39.5bn starting immediately and available through 2009, 2010 and 2011 to restore budgets to 2008 levels – Reversing cutbacks school districts have imposed in recent years, so likely to free up spening, particularly on discretionary items and projects.
• £650m available from March 2009 for educational technology grants – Specifically targeted at hardware, software and professional development.
• £12.2bn available across 2009 and 2010 for special education grants.
• £250m to help States develop systems to analyse student data.

There’s also substantial support for broadband and school construction projects.