How Is Title II, Part A Funding Professional Development in Schools?

“You have to develop your knowledge as a teacher to ensure you’re using the technology correctly,” says Curtiss Strietelmeier, public sector funding manager at CDW.

With new educational technologies, “you have different ways you can interact with students, different ways you can teach a lesson,” he says. “If you rely on what you’ve always done, that won’t necessarily provide the best impact. PD helps you integrate these new resources and new technologies effectively.”

When schools deploy new technology, the point is to impact students, says Rachel Fruin, director of professional learning at Advanced Learning Partnerships, a K–12 consultancy and professional learning firm. “Schools need to equip teachers with the right knowledge, skills and dispositions to be able to successfully implement something new.”

The Cost of Professional Development Deters Schools

Training drives successful ed tech adoption, yet many schools struggle to implement much-needed PD.

In some instances, a lack of data makes it difficult to build a case for PD. Schools need data “to prove the impact of the professional learning experience,” says Amos Fodchuk, president and founder of Advanced Learning Partnerships. Too often, “those impact metrics don’t exist.”

KEEP READING: How does professional development support tech integration?

Even when schools can make the case for PD, finding the funding for such efforts can be difficult. Lean K–12 budgets are already stretched thin to pay for after-school activities, school operations, student support and a range of other requirements. Simply put, “there aren’t enough resources to go around,” Fodchuk says.

Enter Title II, Part A.

What Is Title II-A Funding?

Title II, Part A, also known as the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program, is a component of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This funding aims to increase student achievement, in part by improving the quality and effectiveness of teachers.

To use Title II-A funding effectively, it’s important to understand its intent. The money specifically aims to support professional learning “that provides the maximum impact to students of greatest need,” Fodchuk says. This means school should look for tangible data that demonstrates how PD for technology integration drives improved student outcomes.

There’s an added benefit to doing that. By demonstrating success under Title II, Part A, schools can “leverage their power as community leaders by showcasing the impact of their innovations,” Fodchuk says. “It's really important to tell your own story to leaders who are in positions of influence.”

The federal budget put more than $2 billion toward this in fiscal year 2024, and Strietelmeier says the FY 2025 figure will likely be the same.

How Does Title II Funding Support Professional Development?

Schools can leverage Title II funding to support professional development in a number of ways.

“CDW has training partners. You might also be able to take advantage of state organizations and the educational service centers within your state that can provide PD through workshops or presentations,” Strietelmeier says. “And the vendors who sell the technology should also have trainers on staff, usually former educators.”

What does this PD look like in action?

Suppose a school were to invest in a new learning management system. “You don’t want teachers to treat this as just a place to copy worksheets and put them up on a website for kids to download,” Strietelmeier says. Beyond managing educational materials, an LMS can change how students manage their time. “With an LMS, you’re no longer thinking in 50-minute blocks in the classroom. You’re thinking about making materials available for a student as needed,” he explains. That requires training, the kind of PD that Title II, Part A can fund.

DIVE DEEPER: Can AI solve today’s K–12 classroom challenges?

With teachers facing time constraints, Fruin points to instructional coaching as another way to make effective use of PD funding. “Teachers don’t have enough contract hours to do professional learning outside of the typical school day, and there aren’t enough subs to pull teachers out of the classroom,” she says.

Supported by Title II, Part A, schools can turn to embedded coaching — “an instructional coach who goes into a classroom and works with a teacher,” she says. This approach not only addresses the time crunch but also helps to generate crucial data on measurable impacts. “We can actually see how the kids are learning in real time.”