While a great deal of the spending/allocations were dedicated to personnel and/or materials directly related to student learning, there were significant allocations dedicated to longer term (generally capital) investments as well, including HVAC upgrades, purchasing of new technology, etc. While these are generally considered to have secondary impacts, recent literature suggests that heat can directly affect learning outcomes, while air conditioning may mitigate that impact, and negative impacts of heat may disproportionately impact students of color (Park et al., 2020). With this in mind, ARP-ESSER provides us an opportunity for better understanding the ways in which districts spend allocations on long-term facilities and other physical investments.
Researchers
- Elizabeth Burland - University of University
- Jinhai Yu - University of Connecticut
Report
- December 1, 2023