States, educators, and parents should applaud the announcement that $180 million in federal coronavirus relief funds will be earmarked for states to support the development of innovative learning models. Under Secretary Betsy DeVos’s leadership, the Department of Education’s “Rethink K-12 Education Models Discretionary Grant Program” incentivizes states to reimagine the provision of education during and after the coronavirus closures.
To obtain federal money, state education agencies have three options: (1) create a system that distributes money to families for use on tutoring, summer programs, tuition to a private or public online school program, counseling, test prep, or textbooks — similar to the Education Savings Account policies some states have already pioneered; (2) create a statewide virtual school, something Florida has already done; or (3) create entirely new “models for providing remote education … to ensure that every child is learning and preparing for successful careers and lives.”
