Of the many factors that affect what school districts buy and do for their students, an often-overlooked issue is the influence of federal education grant programs. Nearly every school district in the country receives funding from the US Department of Education (ED) through grant programs that support elementary and secondary education. While this funding represents a relatively small share of education spending overall, the rules governing how it can be spent strongly influence local decisions about student services. This report discusses program implementation and spending rules such as who is eligible for services, what activities ED funds can support, the time frame in which districts can spend ED funds, paperwork requirements, and other technical issues that receive little attention. To mitigate some of the complexities that limit ED grant spending, this report suggests ways stakeholders across the education sector could make it easier for schools and districts to understand their spending options. Specifically: (1) Congress could revise program implementation rules to reduce confusion and make them easier to implement; (2) ED and other federal agencies could use flexibilities that are already on the books to ease spending barriers; (3) ED, state educational agencies, and entities that support states and school districts could provide state and district leaders with tools, such as simple clear explanations of the rules and implementation-oriented guidance with concrete examples of effective practices; (4) State and local education leaders can engage with the rules directly so they better understand their options and obligations; and (5) Education advocates, policymakers, and others who care about education can study how federal rules work in practice to understand their effect on students and schools.