Oklahoma Awards Stronger Connections Grants (SCG)

Oklahoma Awards Stronger Connections Grants (SCG): Tannehill Public School in Oklahoma was awarded $350,000 in SCG funding to help build a safe and healthy school community. Read more about their plans for funds, including hiring the first full-time counselor, here.  

States Rolling Out ‘Stronger Connections’ Grants to Bolster School Safety

States Rolling Out Grants to Bolster School Safety: Many states have started making competitive subgrant awards under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant (SCG) to their high-need LEAs with the goal of establishing safer and healthier learning environments. Read more about the progress of various states in their SCG administration, with a specific highlight on Virginia and Texas, here.

Building Capacity for Standards and Content Integration with State Set-Aside Funds

Utah State Board of Education (USBE): Using Title IV-A state set-aside funds, the USBE prioritized helping educators across the state develop and provide high-quality instruction to students through effectively applying state learning standards and integrating content across subject areas. Read more about their work here. 

Convening a Title IV, Part A Advisory Committee

Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE): The ALSDE convenes a Title IV-A Advisory Committee as part of the training and technical assistance the Title IV-A team provides to local education agencies. ALSDE formed the Committee to increase engagement with LEAs and to support and advise ALSDE’s Title IV-A team. This spotlight describes the approach.

Providing Dedicated Office Hours With State Set-Aside Funds

New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE): To address a need for greater guidance and support in understanding the Title IV-A funding stream and in designing and implementing programming that meets Title IV-A requirements, the NHDOE Title IV-A team leveraged state set-aside funds to implement regularly scheduled Virtual Office Hours. Read more about what they learned here.

Using State Set-Aside Funds to Offer Competitive Innovation Grants

Indiana Department of Education (IDOE): IDOE implemented a statewide competitive grant program, entitled Innovation Grants, using IDOE’s state set-aside funds. The Innovation Grants encouraged creative uses of Title IV-A monies and provided an opportunity for LEAs to experiment with creative programs and activities without impacting their regular Title IV-A allocation. Read more about the program here.

Leveraging State Set-Aside Funds to Provide Innovative Training and Technical Assistance

Arizona Department of Education: Using Title IV-A state set-aside funds, leveraging internal staffing expertise, and collaborating with other state agencies and local partners, the ADE provides a variety of options for Title IV-A training and technical assistance to local education agencies across the state. This spotlight describes three standout approaches.