American Rescue Plan (ARP)

Colorado school districts have been able to provide more after-school programs, summer learning opportunities and focused studies on math and literacy thanks to $1.8 billion the state received in ESSER funding, according to Scott Jones, CDE's chief of staff. 

The Council of Chief State School Officers asked state education chiefs how COVID relief funds had made an impact on their state. Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes explains in this video how she learned of the funds' effectiveness when a school leadership team extolled the funds and how they have helped align math standards to math curriculum for the first time. 

For many urban school districts, students are able to tap into state-of-the-art career technical facilities such as St. Vrain Valley School District’s Innovation Center and Cherry Creek School District’s Innovation Campus.

Boulder Valley School District, one of the grantees that received ESSER funding to help create an effective teacher mentor program, will have a two-day summer institute for beginning teachers and plans to put teacher mentors in every one of its 56 schools.