Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: A First Look at Activities Supported under Title IV, Part A

The Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program supports a wide range of state and local activities to promote well-rounded educational opportunities, safe and healthy students, and effective use of technology. The program was authorized in 2015 under Title IV, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA) and consolidates a number of previous federal programs into a single program. This report presents the first available national information on how states and districts are using these funds, based on a survey of all state Title IV, Part A directors conducted in spring and summer 2019. This study addresses the following primary questions: (1) How many school districts received Title IV, Part A grants? To what extent do districts participate through consortia? How many subgrantees are required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment because they receive a subgrant of at least $30,000?; (2) How are school districts using their Title IV, Part A grants? To what extent are they using the funds for each main purpose? What types of services and activities are they supporting under each area?; (3) How are states using Title IV, Part A funds reserved at the state level to support school districts in meeting the program's three main purposes -- well-rounded educational opportunities, safe and healthy students, and effective use of technology?; and (4) What are the greatest challenges that state officials perceive regarding the use of Title IV, Part A funds? This report presents key findings from the state survey, followed by supporting exhibits. The key findings focus on four main areas: district participation in the Title IV, Part A program; district use of Title IV, Part A funds; state-level use of Title IV, Part A funds; and implementation challenges. Appendix A of this report features supplementary data tables, and Appendix B includes a copy of the survey instrument.