PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

§6314 Schoolwide Programs

Title 20 › CHAPTER 70 — STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › SUBCHAPTER I — IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED › Part A — Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies › subpart 1 — basic program requirements › § 6314

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Schools can combine federal, State, and local funds to improve the whole school if at least 40 percent of the children in the school or the school’s attendance area come from low-income families. If fewer than 40 percent qualify, the State can give a waiver if the school shows a schoolwide program will better help students. Schools in a schoolwide program do not have to pick out individual children for services, and the extra federal money must add to, not replace, the money the school already gets from non‑federal sources. The Department of Education can allow schools to use money from other federal programs together if the goals of those programs are still met, but schools must still follow rules about health, safety, civil rights, parent involvement, services for private school children, and keeping funding levels. Schools that combine funds do not have to keep separate budgets for each federal program as long as records show the combined program meets each program’s purpose. An eligible school must make a written, schoolwide plan within one year unless the school district decides less time is needed, or the school already had a plan before December 10, 2015 (those schools must update the plan in the first year after that date). The plan must be made with parents, community members, teachers, school staff, and others, be kept current, and be shared in clear language and, when possible, in parents’ languages. The plan must come from a full school needs review and explain how the school will help all students meet state standards, improve teaching and learning time, offer a richer curriculum, and support students at risk (for example, counseling, college and career prep, behavior supports, teacher training, and preschool transition). Schools may use funds to start or boost preschool programs for children under 6 years of age, hire outside providers that use proven methods, and run dual or concurrent enrollment programs for low‑achieving or at‑risk secondary students, paying for training, tuition, materials, and transportation as allowed by State law.

Title 20, §6314

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

(1)Use of funds for schoolwide programs

(A)Eligibility

A local educational agency may consolidate and use funds under this part, together with other Federal, State, and local funds, in order to upgrade the entire educational program of a school that serves an eligible school attendance area in which not less than 40 percent of the children are from low-income families, or not less than 40 percent of the children enrolled in the school are from such families.

(B)Exception

A school that serves an eligible school attendance area in which less than 40 percent of the children are from low-income families, or a school for which less than 40 percent of the children enrolled in the school are from such families, may operate a schoolwide program under this section if the school receives a waiver from the State educational agency to do so, after taking into account how a schoolwide program will best serve the needs of the students in the school served under this part in improving academic achievement and other factors.

(2)Identification of students not required

(A)In general

No school participating in a schoolwide program shall be required to identify—

(i)particular children under this part as eligible to participate in a schoolwide program; or

(ii)individual services as supplementary.

(B)Supplemental funds

In accordance with the method of determination described in section 6321(b)(2) of this title, a school participating in a schoolwide program shall use funds available to carry out this section only to supplement the amount of funds that would, in the absence of funds under this part, be made available from non-Federal sources for the school, including funds needed to provide services that are required by law for children with disabilities and English learners.

(3)Exemption from statutory and regulatory requirements

(A)Exemption

Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary may, through publication of a notice in the Federal Register, exempt schoolwide programs under this section from statutory or regulatory provisions of any other noncompetitive formula grant program administered by the Secretary (other than formula or discretionary grant programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), except as provided in section 613(a)(2)(D) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1413(a)(2)(D))), or any discretionary grant program administered by the Secretary, to support schoolwide programs if the intent and purposes of such other programs are met.

(B)Requirements

A school that chooses to use funds from such other programs shall not be relieved of the requirements relating to health, safety, civil rights, student and parental participation and involvement, services to private school children, comparability of services, maintenance of effort, uses of Federal funds to supplement, not supplant non-Federal funds (in accordance with the method of determination described in section 6321(b)(2) of this title), or the distribution of funds to State educational agencies or local educational agencies that apply to the receipt of funds from such programs.

(C)Records

A school that chooses to consolidate and use funds from different Federal programs under this section shall not be required to maintain separate fiscal accounting records, by program, that identify the specific activities supported by those particular funds as long as the school maintains records that demonstrate that the schoolwide program, considered as a whole, addresses the intent and purposes of each of the Federal programs that were consolidated to support the schoolwide program.

(b)Schoolwide program plan

An eligible school operating a schoolwide program shall develop a comprehensive plan (or amend a plan for such a program that was in existence on the day before December 10, 2015) that—

(1)is developed during a 1-year period, unless—

(A)the local educational agency determines, in consultation with the school, that less time is needed to develop and implement the schoolwide program; or

(B)the school is operating a schoolwide program on the day before December 10, 2015, in which case such school may continue to operate such program, but shall develop amendments to its existing plan during the first year of assistance after that date to reflect the provisions of this section;

(2)is developed with the involvement of parents and other members of the community to be served and individuals who will carry out such plan, including teachers, principals, other school leaders, paraprofessionals present in the school, administrators (including administrators of programs described in other parts of this subchapter), the local educational agency, to the extent feasible, tribes and tribal organizations present in the community, and, if appropriate, specialized instructional support personnel, technical assistance providers, school staff, if the plan relates to a secondary school, students, and other individuals determined by the school;

(3)remains in effect for the duration of the school’s participation under this part, except that the plan and its implementation shall be regularly monitored and revised as necessary based on student needs to ensure that all students are provided opportunities to meet the challenging State academic standards;

(4)is available to the local educational agency, parents, and the public, and the information contained in such plan shall be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that the parents can understand; and

(5)if appropriate and applicable, is developed in coordination and integration with other Federal, State, and local services, resources, and programs, such as programs supported under this chapter, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start programs, adult education programs, career and technical education programs, and schools implementing comprehensive support and improvement activities or targeted support and improvement activities under section 6311(d) of this title;

(6)is based on a comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school that takes into account information on the academic achievement of children in relation to the challenging State academic standards, particularly the needs of those children who are failing, or are at-risk of failing, to meet the challenging State academic standards and any other factors as determined by the local educational agency; and

(7)includes a description of—

(A)the strategies that the school will be implementing to address school needs, including a description of how such strategies will—

(i)provide opportunities for all children, including each of the subgroups of students (as defined in section 6311(c)(2) of this title) to meet the challenging State academic standards;

(ii)use methods and instructional strategies that strengthen the academic program in the school, increase the amount and quality of learning time, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum, which may include programs, activities, and courses necessary to provide a well-rounded education; and

(iii)address the needs of all children in the school, but particularly the needs of those at risk of not meeting the challenging State academic standards, through activities which may include—

(I)counseling, school-based mental health programs, specialized instructional support services, mentoring services, and other strategies to improve students’ skills outside the academic subject areas;

(II)preparation for and awareness of opportunities for postsecondary education and the workforce, which may include career and technical education programs and broadening secondary school students’ access to coursework to earn postsecondary credit while still in high school (such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enrollment, or early college high schools);

(III)implementation of a schoolwide tiered model to prevent and address problem behavior, and early intervening services, coordinated with similar activities and services carried out under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);

(IV)professional development and other activities for teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel to improve instruction and use of data from academic assessments, and to recruit and retain effective teachers, particularly in high-need subjects; and

(V)strategies for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood education programs to local elementary school programs; and

(B)if programs are consolidated, the specific State educational agency and local educational agency programs and other Federal programs that will be consolidated in the schoolwide program.

(c)Preschool programs

A school that operates a schoolwide program under this section may use funds available under this part to establish or enhance preschool programs for children who are under 6 years of age.

(d)Delivery of services

The services of a schoolwide program under this section may be delivered by nonprofit or for-profit external providers with expertise in using evidence-based or other effective strategies to improve student achievement.

(e)Use of funds for dual or concurrent enrollment programs

(1)In general

A secondary school operating a schoolwide program under this section may use funds received under this part to operate dual or concurrent enrollment programs that address the needs of low-achieving secondary school students and those at risk of not meeting the challenging State academic standards.

(2)Flexibility of funds

A secondary school using funds received under this part for a dual or concurrent enrollment program described in paragraph (1) may use such funds for any of the costs associated with such program, including the costs of— (A)

(B)tuition and fees, books, required instructional materials for such program, and innovative delivery methods; and

(C)transportation to and from such program.

(3)Rule of construction

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to impose on any State any requirement or rule regarding dual or concurrent enrollment programs that is inconsistent with State law.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to in subsecs. (a)(3)(A) and (b)(7)(A)(iii)(III), is title VI of Pub. L. 91–230, Apr. 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 175, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1400 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1400 of this title and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6314, Pub. L. 89–10, title I, § 1114, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3534; amended Pub. L. 105–332, § 3(c)(1), Oct. 31, 1998, 112 Stat. 3125, related to schoolwide programs, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(1), added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which consisted of pars. (1) to (4) relating to general use of funds for schoolwide programs, nonidentification of students, exemption from statutory and regulatory requirements, and professional development. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(2), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which consisted of pars. (1) and (2) relating to components of a schoolwide program and development of plan. Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(3), added subsecs. (c) to (e) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text of subsec. (c) read as follows: “A school that is eligible for a schoolwide program under this section may use funds made available under this part to establish or enhance prekindergarten programs for children below the age of 6, such as Even Start programs or Early Reading First programs.” 2006—Subsec. (b)(2)(B)(v). Pub. L. 109–270 substituted “the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006” for “Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.