Most districts already receive the money to strengthen teaching. It arrives every year as Title II-A, the largest federal stream for educator professional learning, and much of the work an educator experience platform does is exactly what the statute authorizes. The challenge is rarely finding new money. It is knowing which line you already have will cover it, and being able to show your business office the citation.
This guide walks through what Title II-A allows, the one definition every professional-development purchase has to satisfy, the four compliance guardrails, and how each part of a platform like EX in Education maps to a specific allowable use.
This is general information, not legal advice. Allowability is always determined by your district and state education agency. Citations refer to the ESEA as amended by ESSA (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.).
What Title II-A is
Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, formally Supporting Effective Instruction, funds states and districts to improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders, and to give students greater access to effective educators. It is funded at roughly $2.19 billion a year and distributed by formula from the U.S. Department of Education to states, which reserve at least 95% for district subgrants.
The menu of things a district can spend it on lives in ESEA Sec. 2103(b)(3). That menu is broad, and it lines up closely with the work of building, coaching, and retaining a strong staff.
What maps to an allowable use
Each capability below points to the specific subsection of ESEA Sec. 2103(b)(3) that authorizes it.
| What you fund | The activity Title II-A authorizes | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluations & walkthroughs | A rigorous, transparent, and fair evaluation-and-support system with multiple measures and useful feedback. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(A) |
| Induction & mentoring | New-teacher, principal, or school-leader induction and mentoring programs. Named in the statute. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(B)(iv) |
| Instructional coaching | Personalized, evidence-based, job-embedded PD, plus training for coaches, mentors, and evaluators. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(E) |
| PD courses & learning | High-quality, personalized, evidence-based professional development for teachers and leadership teams. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(E) |
| PD & license tracking | Administering and documenting the PD your educators complete, as an allocable support cost for that PD. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(E) |
| Goals & SLOs | Student-growth evidence and multiple measures within the support system, and using assessment data. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(A) |
| Staff surveys | Feedback mechanisms to improve school working conditions, including reporting educator feedback. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(N) |
| Recognition & retention | Initiatives to recruit, advance, and retain effective teachers, including career pathways. | Sec. 2103(b)(3)(B) |
The professional-development test
Anything funded as professional development has to meet one definition, at ESEA Sec. 8101(42). Under it, professional development is sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused. The statute is explicit that it is not stand-alone, one-day, or short-term workshops.
This is why the delivery model matters as much as the content. A platform is fundable as PD when it supports ongoing observation, coaching, and data cycles, the kind of learning that continues in the classroom, rather than a library of one-off webinars.
Four guardrails to clear
Supplement, not supplant
Sec. 2301Title II-A must add to, not replace, what you already fund. Use it for a new or expanded activity, not to backfill a line you already pay for locally.
Evidence-based
Sec. 8101(21)Activities must meet one of four tiers: strong, moderate, promising, or demonstrates a rationale. The fourth, a research-backed rationale plus ongoing review of results, is the practical entry point for a platform-supported activity.
Meaningful consultation
Sec. 2102(b)(3)Build and update your plan with teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, families, and community partners, and use data to keep improving it.
Reasonable, necessary, allocable
2 CFR 200.403–.405Costs must be reasonable, necessary, and allocated to the benefit received. If a license also serves purposes outside Title II-A, split the cost proportionally.
Time it to your 2026-27 budget cycle
Most districts plan Title II-A spending on a predictable rhythm. To put funds to work for the coming school year, the window that matters is now through spring.
Align the platform to your Title II-A plan and allowable-use categories.
Confirm the evidence tier and the supplement-not-supplant rationale.
Get the purchase order in to fund it from your current Title II-A allocation.
Get the one-page version for your business office
The same map, as a printable guide with every citation, built to forward to your federal-programs director or CFO.
Get the Title II-A funding guideFrequently asked questions
Can I use Title II-A funds for instructional coaching?
Yes. Instructional coaching is supportable under ESEA Sec. 2103(b)(3)(E) as personalized, evidence-based, job-embedded professional development, and Sec. 2103(b)(3)(B)(v) covers training for coaches, mentors, and evaluators. It must meet the Sec. 8101(42) definition of professional development: sustained, job-embedded, and data-driven, not one-off workshops.
Can I buy software or a platform with Title II-A funds?
Title II-A does not fund software as a category. It funds allowable activities such as professional development, coaching, induction, and an evaluation-and-support system. A platform is fundable when it is the tool that delivers or manages one of those activities, the cost is reasonable, necessary, and allocable under 2 CFR 200, the approach is evidence-based, and it supplements rather than supplants funds you already spend.
Is teacher retention an allowable use of Title II-A?
Yes. ESEA Sec. 2103(b)(3)(B) authorizes initiatives to recruit, advance, and retain effective teachers, including career pathways and leadership opportunities. Tie the spend to retaining effective educators, not to gifts or general morale spending.
Are new-teacher induction and mentoring covered by Title II-A?
Yes, explicitly. ESEA Sec. 2103(b)(3)(B)(iv) names new-teacher, principal, and school-leader induction and mentoring programs designed to improve instruction and increase retention. It is the strongest single citation in the local-use menu.
What is the supplement-not-supplant rule for Title II-A?
Under ESEA Sec. 2301, Title II-A funds must add to, not replace, the non-federal funds you would otherwise spend on authorized activities. Use Title II-A for a new or expanded activity, not to backfill a system you already pay for locally.