Funding Futures: The Uneven Geography of Title II-A Education Spending

This study employs a document analysis of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan submitted to the United States (US) federal government from 2017 to 2022 in order to examine Title II, Part A, implementation across all states. We analyzed state-level fund allocation, type and number of leadership development activities, and discrepancies between planned and actual spending. Results reveal substantial heterogeneity in state approaches: 23.5% made Title II-A-specific plan amendments, yet 86.3% maximized state reserves by 2020 to 2021. Leadership reserve allocation increased from 31.4% to 45.1%, indicating growing recognition of leadership importance. Findings suggest federal policy allows state adaptation while highlighting significant gaps between planning and implementation in educational leadership funding.