Brookings Addresses “Supplement, Not Supplant” Provisions within ESSA
July 13, 2016
The Brookings Institution has published a report addressing the current debate over the “supplement, not supplant” provisions within ESSA. The report argues that debate over how much authority the federal government should have on allotment of Title I dollars is missing the actual issue. The authors argue that, because most Title I funds are spend on programs and services that don’t do much to help students, “A more fruitful discussion would focus on how states and districts can spend their money effectively, by using evidence to identify programs that work on which Title I funds should be spent.” Rather than spend resources deciding who should hold schools accountable for their Title I spending, the report argues, Congress should be more focused on finding proven education programs for schools to invest in.