Bill Overview
Title: RECOVER Act
Description: This bill directs local educational agencies to use certain federal COVID-19 relief funds to address student learning loss by distributing direct financial assistance (i.e., Child Opportunity Scholarships) to the parent or guardian of an eligible student for certain qualified educational expenses (e.g., educational materials, tutoring, or private school tuition). Eligible student refers to a child who is a member of a household with an income that is not more than 300% of the federal poverty level.
Sponsors: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]
Target Audience
Population: Children in households with income not more than 300% of federal poverty level
Estimated Size: 35000000
- The bill specifically targets students who are from households with an income not more than 300% of the federal poverty level to receive Child Opportunity Scholarships.
- The RECOVER Act aims to mitigate student learning loss attributable to interruptions in education due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The assistance is meant for educational expenses, potentially impacting several sectors like tutoring services, educational materials vendors, and private schools.
- The global estimate of individuals affected includes all eligible students globally, but will be limited to U.S. students within states that choose to implement the program using their federal Covid-relief funds.
Reasoning
- The RECOVER Act specifically focuses on U.S. households with incomes not exceeding 300% of the federal poverty line. The eligibility criterium is expected to cover a sizable section of the population within the U.S, supporting up to 35 million children.
- The budget constraints of $35 billion in the first year and $122.5 billion over ten years suggest that while the policy aims to cover a large number of students, each eligible student will likely receive a modest amount of assistance. This might result in varied impacts across different households depending on their initial financial and educational situation.
- Different households will experience different levels of impact based on multiple factors, including the number of eligible students in the household, existing access to educational resources, and the alignment of available educational expenses with the voucher value.
- Students in rural or under-resourced areas might experience a higher impact from the policy due to an initial lack of access to educational resources compared to those in urban settings.
- The support from this policy for private tuition, tutoring, and educational materials may not fully mitigate learning disruptions but can provide a significant boost that may reflect in improved future wellbeing scores for many students.
Simulated Interviews
Single Parent (Cleveland, Ohio)
Age: 42 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm grateful for any help we can get, but the funds need to be enough to really make a dent in our educational needs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
Teacher (Austin, Texas)
Age: 35 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I wish we qualified. The policy seems like it could make a huge difference, especially with tutoring.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Small Business Owner (Boise, Idaho)
Age: 50 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This might increase my business, but I worry about what will happen when the funds run out.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 5 |
Community Organizer (Brooklyn, New York)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is a good step, but we need to ensure equitable distribution and reach to the most affected children.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Factory Worker (Detroit, Michigan)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- These funds could really help my kids catch up with their studies.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Student (San Francisco, California)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Any support means my siblings can access extra resources; it's crucial for them.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Public School Teacher (Phoenix, Arizona)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- While the policy may help students individually, I'm concerned about overall impact on public school systems.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Unemployed (Los Angeles, California)
Age: 37 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This voucher could mean the difference between keeping my kids on track or not.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Retired (Atlanta, Georgia)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Grandkids need all the help they can get but are not sure if assistance will reach this area.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Private School Administrator (Miami, Florida)
Age: 31 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 6.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope this will lead to an increase in enrollment, but we may face challenges in resource allocation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $35000000000 (Low: $25000000000, High: $45000000000)
Year 2: $35000000000 (Low: $25000000000, High: $45000000000)
Year 3: $35000000000 (Low: $25000000000, High: $45000000000)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The flexibility of states and local education agencies in distributing federal funds can lead to variability in the program's reach and effectiveness.
- Potential enhancement of educational outcomes for students affected by learning losses could reduce long-term educational remediation costs.
- The program's effectiveness in addressing learning loss would depend significantly on the funds managed and execution strategies adopted by local agencies.