ESEA Reauthorization: Keep Accountability Strong!
March 3, 2010
Washington, DC, March 3, 2010 -- Democrats for Education Reform joined a coalition of 18 advocacy, civil rights, and policy study organizations today who submitted a set of recommendations to the President and Congress regarding the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
"This statement of principles makes it clear that there is broad support for a new ESEA that invests in fundamental education reform, promotes innovation, builds human capital, and continues to holds schools accountable for results," said Charles Barone, Director of Federal Policy at Democrats for Education Reform. "Part and parcel of this effort must be decisive action to fundamentally restructure schools and school systems that are chronically low-performing."
Overall, the group endorses the direction the Obama Administration is taking to school reform. The signees ask the Administration to maintain and elaborate the bright lines in federal law around accountability and teacher quality and effectiveness, and couple that with a competitive grant strategy that invests in and rewards states that are ready, willing, and able to step up their education reform efforts, including reconstituting, restarting, converting, or shutting down the lowest-performing schools.
Highlights:
NCLB and Race to the Top
"We the undersigned believe that even though neither is perfect, ESEA 2002 (NCLB) and Race to the Top are both landmark education reforms that have moved the country's education goals and policies in a markedly positive direction."
Accountability
States must set annual, measurable, and ambitious goals for the academic performance of all students and for closing achievement gaps between: 1) economically disadvantaged students; 2) students from major racial and ethnic groups; 3) students with disabilities; and 4) students with limited English proficiency, as compared to their non-disadvantaged peers.
School Interventions
"We embrace the Administration's push to compel increasingly intensive interventions in low-performing schools.
"Persistently low-performing schools necessitate fundamental changes in staffing and leadership, including reconstitution, conversion to a charter school, restart, or shutdown. After other approaches have been tried and have failed, these are the only viable options with a reasonable probability of success."
Performance-Based Funding
"Federal funds for reform-oriented instructional approaches such as supplemental tutoring, expanded learning time..., teacher training, and charter school management should, to the greatest extent possible, be based on their quality and be awarded via competitive grants or sub-grants to public, non-profit, and other non-governmental entities with a proven record of success."
"Set aside a significant portion of federal professional development funds for states, local education authorities (LEAs), and non-profits that implement and/or expand proven and effective practices in the preparation and professional development of teachers and future school leaders."
Signing Organizations: Citizen Schools, CitizensÂ’ Commission on Civil Rights, Civic Builders, Colorado Succeeds, Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCan), Democrats for Education Reform, Education Equality Project, Education Reform Now!, Hope Street Group, Mass Insight Education and Research Institute, The Mind Trust, National Council of La Raza, Parent Revolution, Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, Rodel Foundation of Delaware, State of Black Connecticut Alliance, Texas Institute for Education Reform, UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
