{"id":8023,"date":"2021-05-06T19:38:56","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T19:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/funds-for-equitable-access-to-the-arts-in-schools\/"},"modified":"2021-05-06T19:38:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-06T19:38:56","slug":"funds-for-equitable-access-to-the-arts-in-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/funds-for-equitable-access-to-the-arts-in-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Funds for Equitable Access to the Arts in Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"
On Thursday, March 11, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion package in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Of the more than $122 billion allocated for K-12 schools, at least 90 percent of funds are required to be used by State Education Agencies (SEAs) to make subgrants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Under the bill, SEAs and LEAs are required to allocate a significant percentage of funding towards evidence-based interventions \u2013 such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive after school programs, or extended school year programs \u2013 that address the social, emotional, and academic needs of students, particularly those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.<\/p>\n
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The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has emphasized through its COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students\u2019 Needs<\/a>, the importance of ensuring students have access to an enriched and well-rounded education (which includes the arts) to support efforts to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and re-engage students after more than a year of disruption. ED\u2019s handbook further points to the Arts Education Partnership\u2019s ArtsEdSearch<\/a> as a resource for evidence-based practices to SEAs and LEAs as they seek to address inequities in access to a well-rounded education.<\/p>\n At this time, states have already received two-thirds of their ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) allocation ($81 billion) and will have access to the remaining $41 billion after the Department approves states\u2019 plans. On April 21, the ED released the application<\/a> that states will need to submit by June 7, describing how they will use resources under the ARP ESSER fund in order to continue to reopen schools safely, sustain their safe operations and support students.<\/p>\n What does this mean for you as a funder group or organization engaged in arts education work?<\/p>\n