Urban School Coalition Proposes Substantial
Streamlining of
ESEA
WASHINGTON, March 5 – The Council of the Great City Schools, a
coalition representing the nation's largest urban public school
systems, has proposed a streamlined version of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for congressional reauthorization
that would accelerate the pace of achievement for children with
specific disadvantages and special needs.
The Council's proposals also call for capacity building of the
neediest American school systems, designed to advance achievement
through increased flexibility, and a refocus of school reform from
the state to the local school district and classroom levels.
"These new proposals are designed to accelerate achievement gains
in urban schools by boosting local school capacity to meet rising
standards, by expanding local decision making, and by spurring
accountability for results," says Council Executive Director Michael
Casserly.
The urban school proposal would first retain the categorical
approach in ESEA for improving education for children with special
educational needs, such as those who are disadvantaged, minority
isolated, immigrant, and English-language learners.
The proposal would also substantially restructure ESEA to permit
local school systems to shift resources within two new areas
designed to boost local capacity for speeding achievement gains and
to meet areas of national priority. Recommendations also call for
allocating federal funding directly to the school-district level to
improve efficiency and ensure greater emphasis on classroom
instruction.
The capacity-building and problem-solving provisions of the new
proposal would consolidate 29 existing programs into a series of
more flexible activities, substantially streamlining current local
operations and permitting schools to focus on results.
In addition, the new ESEA proposals would substantially overhaul
the current bilingual education program by refocusing the effort on
the attainment by English-language learners of high academic
standards in all content areas, and by moving away from the current
emphasis on federally encouraged teaching methods and time limits
for participation in favor of community discretion.
Finally, the proposals substantially revamp the research
functions of the U.S. Department of Education by providing each
division its own research and evaluation funding to assess the
progress of their respective programs and by providing funds for
local selection of technical assistance.
The new proposals recommend the following for the reauthorization
of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act:
Strengthen accountability in Title I by
authorizing each Superintendent of Schools to assign a Title I
Monitor to ensure results in chronically under-achieving schools
and requiring that achievement data be reported for all groups to
ensure that no child is left behind.
Encourage local school systems to establish their
own academic standards and annual yearly progress goals toward
those standards when they are higher than minimum state
requirements.
Establish two new titles for (1) improving the
capacity of state and local schools systems to accelerate
achievement through better professional development and
flexibility (Title II); and (2) solving high-priority national
education challenges, such as reducing class-size, expanding
after-school services and improving technology (Title
III).
- Retain separate line-item appropriations at the
federal level for each of the programs under the new Title II
and III.
- Improve flexibility to meet local needs in
national priority areas by allowing for the partial local
transferability (50%) of funds across the two new titles.
- Improve flexibility to meet additional local
needs in high-priority areas by allowing for the complete local
transferability (100%) of funds within the two new
titles.
Include in the new Title II a program to support
the local costs of securing technical assistance and research for
school reform and improvement.
Authorize a new secondary school reform
demonstration program in Title III to address the lack of
information on middle and high school best
practices.
Reorient bilingual education toward the attainment
of high academic standards in all content areas for
English-language learners through locally designed
programs.
Emphasize closing of achievement gaps among
diverse groups of students in the Magnet School Assistance
Act.
The Council's proposed restructuring also calls for the
establishment of a new state role in ESEA and for the
reauthorization of the school infrastructure grant program, the
rural education program and the revision of the urban education
program.
Copies of the eight-page summary of the recommendations or the
38-page full text can be obtained by contacting the Council at (202)
393-2427.
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