§2.Educational equity challenge grant program
This section establishes an Educational Equity Challenge Grant program, under which the Secretary of Education awards grants to eligible entities (i.e., LEAs, consortia of LEAs, SEAs, educational service agencies, certain nonprofit partnerships with LEAs, or the Bureau of Indian Education, excluding for-profits) to (1) implement evidence-based activities, strategies, and interventions addressing students' academic, social-emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical health needs—including those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic—that meet the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's strong evidence standard; or (2) design, replicate, or implement field- and educator-initiated proposals addressing such needs, which grantees must independently evaluate for efficacy and which must also meet the strong evidence standard.
The Secretary may use up to 5% of funds for administration (including technical assistance and dissemination of best practices); must reserve 5% for grants to outlying areas and the Bureau of Indian Education for schools it operates or funds; and from remaining funds must allocate (1) 75% to evidence-based proposals and 25% to field-initiated proposals, (2) at least 25% to rural eligible entities (i.e., those or their majority-served schools with locale codes 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43), and (3) at least 50% to eligible entities serving student populations where 20% or more of school-age children live in low-income families (per Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), with reductions if insufficient qualified applications and allowing dual-counting for rural-low-income entities. (Thus, the program prioritizes post-COVID recovery in high-need, underserved K-12 settings while emphasizing rigorous evidence.)
Not later than 90 days after enactment, the Secretary must publish grant applications and post Department of Education website resources on identified evidence-based activities, strategies, and interventions. Eligible entities must apply with required information, including identification of student inequities in academic progress and social-emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical health.