The U.S. Department of Education’s Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) team is excited to share the most up to date information on the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant application, which will be available to approximately 4,200 grantees in February 2021. During this thirty-minute presentation members of the REAP team will provide a high-level overview of the changes the SRSA grant application has undergone in recent years. To assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in preparing to submit their General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) statements in the upcoming application, the team will share data from 800 GEPA statements that were submitted as part of last year’s application, discussing what projects and activities SRSA funds may support. The REAP team will provide guidance on crafting an LEA’s GEPA statement, which includes identification of an LEA’s proposed use of SRSA funds and an explanation of how the LEA will use SRSA funds to address barriers to access and participation in SRSA programs based on any federally protected categories, such as race, gender, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, or age.

By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:

1. Understand the newest changes to the SRSA application for the upcoming year, fiscal year 2021.
2. Craft a GEPA statement that identifies an LEA’s proposed use of SRSA funds and explains how the LEA will use SRSA funds to address barriers to access and participation in SRSA programs based on any federally protected categories, such as race, gender, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, or age.