Federal funding will help school districts across Georgia in their efforts to address the increased needs of special education students, as well as the need for more personalized learning experiences for all students.
The State of Board of Education met late last week and approved the expenditure of $6 million for special education programs to help offset the effects of increased costs for educating students with disabilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are being drawn from the department’s allotment of federal Corona Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act dollars as well as the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
“It is critical that we ensure students who receive special education services do not fall behind as a result of the pandemic,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “These funds will be specifically directed, on a district-by-district level, toward safeguarding access and opportunity for students who require special education services.”
The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is also moving forward with Georgia’s ReStart: Embrace, Engage, Expand, and Enhance Learning with Technology (GRE4T) with the board’s approval of a three-year $18.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education (USED). According to state officials, these funds will be used to build educator and leader capacity, as well as organizational infrastructure to support personalized learning. This funding will also benefit the Georgia Virtual School in its efforts to serve more students across the state –especially as more students are being taught virtually this year because of the pandemic.
State officials have said that outcomes of the GRE4T Initiative are expected demonstrate student and parent satisfaction with personalized learning approaches, improvement in student attendance rates in face-to-face and online learning opportunities, and equitable student learning across racial and ethnic subgroups as well as in economically disadvantaged communities
As part of this initiative, GaDOE has created a number of parrtnerships with a state educational agencies and universities, including the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement through a personalized learning pilot study; iTeach with Kennesaw State University, and the Georgia Educational Leadership organizations.
The state plans to engage district leaders and teachers in remote instructional coaching for personalized learning, develop a Leadership Consortium, and engage more students and parents in their households. The DOE is also working to ensure access for students across the state to the Georgia Virtual School (GAV) through partnerships with the Georgia Technology Authority and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs – by improving internet access, especially in rural areas of the state.
