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Tracking American Rescue Plan funds: 8 in 10 school districts invest in afterschool and summer, focus on traditional academic support

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Tracking American Rescue Plan funds: 8 in 10 school districts invest in afterschool and summer, focus on traditional academic support

By Guest Blogger Posted: Oct 23, 2023

By Emily Murtaugh and Liana Shivers.

In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act allocated $109 billion in  Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds to local school districts to support pandemic recovery, including addressing students’ learning loss and well-being through comprehensive afterschool and summer programs. These ARP ESSER funds have enormous potential to close the opportunity gap and provide programming proven to boost school attendance, engagement, and performance, while helping students build positive connections and life skills. Today, 25 million children would enroll in an afterschool program if one were available.

“Investments in Student Recovery: A Review of School Districts’ Use of American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Afterschool and Summer Opportunities” analyzes data from more than 6,300 school districts’ ARP ESSER spending plans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and reflects insights from interviews with school district staff and program providers. The report finds that 8 in 10 districts invested in afterschool and summer programs – representing more than $5.4 billion. This is, however, just a small sliver of funds available. Further, of the funds invested in afterschool and summer, most are focused on academic-only programming. The report calls on leaders to dedicate remaining ESSER funds to comprehensive programming, which includes both academic support and enrichment opportunities that excite and engage young people, and to look ahead at sustaining and expanding afterschool and summer programming to meet the needs of youth and families.

From the review of 6,315 district ARP ESSER spending plans, seven key findings emerge:

  • More than 8 in 10 school districts dedicated some ARP ESSER funds to afterschool and summer opportunities, with at least $5.4 billion going toward afterschool and summer programming.
     
  • Summer programming was the most popular strategy to address learning recovery, although a majority of school districts allocated ARP ESSER funds to both afterschool and summer programming.
     
  • Most ARP ESSER summer interventions focused on academic remediation or recovery only.
     
  • Tutoring and academic-only focused supports were the most common type of ARP ESSER funded afterschool activity.
     
  • Only 1 in 5 school districts invested in afterschool programming with academic and enrichment components, totaling approximately $544 million.
     
  • A significant portion of plans describing afterschool or summer programming were unclear in nature.
     
  • Districts located in cities are most likely to mention afterschool programming in their ARP ESSER spending plans and fund afterschool programming that includes both academics and enrichment; rural districts are most likely to fund academic-only summer programming.

In addition to reviewing school district spending plans, more than 40 interviews with district staff and program providers across the nation were conducted. These interviews revealed the challenges and successes they experienced, as well as the strategies implemented to get there. The report processes these findings into recommendations for school districts, afterschool and summer program providers, advocates, and policymakers.

This blog only scratches the surface of this robust new research on the historical impact of American Rescue Plan and COVID relief funds on out-of-school time. Read the report to find the full list of findings, recommendations, and promising strategies.

For help investing ARP ESSER funds in afterschool and summer, check out Engage Every Student (EES), an initiative launched in July 2022 by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. The initiative offers office hours for technical assistance, as well as a number of online resources including an afterschool and summer needs assessment, tip sheets, research on the evidence base, and more. Consider signing on as an Engage Every Student ally so that you receive the latest news and updates, and to express your support for the effort to ensure that all young people who want to participate in afterschool and summer programs have that opportunity.

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