[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8938-8939] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]INTRODUCTION OF THE SCHOOL QUALITY COUNTS ACT ______ HON. GEORGE MILLER of california in the house of representatives Thursday, May 6, 1999 Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to make the academic performance of all students the top priority of federal education programs. This legislation would achieve that goal by taking four clear steps: strengthening accountability for student achievement; raising standards for teachers; rewarding successful schools and teachers; and providing better information to parents. For far too long, the educational system in this country has operated under a policy of ``acceptable losses.'' Too many children have simply been written off. They leave school--in many cases with a diploma--only to find out that they have not received the high-quality education that they need and to which every child in this country ought to be entitled. We must increase the opportunities for success. We can do better. In fact, there are successful schools all over the country, in every type of community, that are living proof that all children have the ability to achieve beyond our wildest expectations, no matter what their economic or social background. For example, according to data released recently by the Kentucky Association of School Councils, some of the schools achieving the highest scores on state exams in 1998 were high-poverty schools. In fact: five of the twenty elementary schools with the highest reading scores in the state were high-poverty schools; six of the twenty elementary schools with the highest mathematics scores in the state were high poverty; and thirteen of the twenty elementary schools with the highest writing scores in the state were high poverty schools. In all of these cases, high poverty schools out-performed much more affluent schools in order to reach the top twenty. The success in Kentucky is not isolated. There are schools in every part of the country doing the same thing everyday. Our job, in this Congress, is to help all parents and educators in every community apply these lessons and achieve, for their children, the same success that these Kentucky schools and other successful schools are achieving. The American public is leading the way on this issue. Our citizens are currently engaged in an inspiring, unprecedented effort to improve our public schools. Parents and taxpayers understand that all children need a world-class education if they are going to succeed in the global economy, be productive members of our society, and participate actively as responsible citizens. [[Page 8939]] They have come to the conclusion that we, as a nation, have not asked enough of our children; that we have not set academic standards high enough; that we have not recognized the amazing things that our children can, in fact, achieve. In California we are seeing great enthusiasm for education reform at the local level. Parents are demanding better schools, and they are willing to invest the time and money needed to get them. At almost an unprecedented rate, education bond issues--that must be passed by a two-thirds vote--are passing in California because people have decided that they want to reinvest in the public schools. We are seeing similar things here at the federal level in support for increased education funding. This is a pivotal time in education policy. We have an unprecedented opportunity to work with parents, educators, and communities in their drive to fundamentally improve the quality of education for all children. The right way for Congress to help in this effort is to provide the necessary resources and set clear and rigorous standards for accountability. Now is the right time for Congress to act. This year we will be taking up the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, something we do once only every five or so years. We come to this reauthorization at a point where the federal government has spent roughly $120 billion over the last three decades on funding for the largest federal education program--the official title of which is ``Helping Disadvantaged Children Meet High Standards,'' but which is more widely known as ``Title I''--with uneven results. To be clear, there have been notable achievements. The achievement gap between low-income students and their more advantaged peers narrowed significantly from 1970 until the mid-1980's. Independent studies suggest the federal effort on Title I and other educational equity initiatives have played a key part in this success. Closing the achievement gap was a central goal of the title I program when it was enacted in 1965 and its accomplishments in this regard have been under-rated. But in recent years the nationwide trend in narrowing the achievement gap has stalled--and in a few cases, we have even lost ground. And yet the federal government has continued to send almost $8 billion a year in Title I funds to states and schools with few questions asked and no real demand for higher student achievement. As we look to reauthorize the Title I program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for another five years, and invest somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 billion or more in the program, we need to make a choice. We can either learn from states like Kentucky, Texas, and North Carolina, and ask that all states, in return for billions in federal subsidies, set clear goals for student achievement and then hold them accountable for making progress toward those goals. Or we can continue writing checks and sending the message that we are happy with the status quo. We are entitled to ask the same questions and expect the same commitment and accountability as a financial partner would in providing capital for a loan. We don't want to micromanage your enterprise. States and localities have the primary responsibility for the day-to-day operation of schools. But we can, and should, ask that: (1) States lay out clear and measurable goals for the academic achievement of all students, including their goals for closing gaps in achievement between student subgroups, such as between economically disadvantaged students and their peers; (2) Children have access to the resources they need to meet these goals, especially high-quality instruction. The single most important factor in student achievement is a qualified teacher. Teachers need better training and stronger support, particularly in the early years of their careers. Aides have a role to play, but they must support, not replace, the classroom teacher; (3) Schools and teachers that show results should be financially rewarded for their success in improving student achievement. Particular attention must be paid to high-poverty schools in which students are showing academic gains; and, (4) Parents should be given better and clearer information about how their child is doing in school. And parents and other taxpayers deserve public report cards on the quality of their neighborhood schools and how they rank with others in their state. By taking these steps, my bill will recommit federal education programs to their core goal--ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve, regardless of racial, ethnic, or economic background. Here is how the bill would work specifically: I. Report Cards--Information to Parents and the Public Individual Report Cards: The bill requires Title I schools to issue report cards to all parents of Title I kids on the academic progress of their individual children, as well as their school, the school district, and the state overall. The report cards would be tied to the standards and the assessments used to evaluate the Title I program, and as such would complement report card grades on classwork. Statewide Report Cards: The bill also requires public dissemination of information on the performance of all Title I schools and districts. The reports must emphasize dissaggregation of data (e.g., by race, by economic status) to ensure better scrutiny on the progress of all at- risk groups. II. Teacher Quality Parent Right-to-Know: The bill requires school to provide information to parents of all Title I kids with regard to the qualifications of their child's teacher(s). It would require active notification in those cases in which teachers are not fully qualified (including emergency- certified). Qualifications of Title I Instructional Staff: The bill requires all Title I instructors to be qualified teachers (pass subject area tests or have an academic major and at least a B average in the subjects in which they are teaching). It would allow programs two years to ensure all Title I instructors are qualified. The bill would allow schools to use funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to create financial incentives to lure qualified teachers to teach in high-poverty schools and provide training to ``emergency certified'' teachers and teacher aides who are good candidates for full certification. III. Strengthen Accountability The bill would establish a more stringent definition of what constitutes ``adequate yearly progress'' for Title I programs. It would take into account the progress of each program in raising the performance of all students and set as a goal the closing of the gap between minorities and non-minorities and between more and less affluent students. It would require the federal Department of Education to re-review state plans under these new criteria and to solicit revisions from states whose systems do not conform. IV. Rewards for Successful Schools The bill would require states to set aside funds to financially reward schools and teachers whose students make significant academic progress. High-poverty Title I schools, and the teachers within them, that make significant progress would get special consideration. Over the coming weeks, I also plan to explore additional options to complement this legislation, particularly for providing financial incentives to teachers who choose to serve in high-need schools. It is time for Congress to stop sitting on the sidelines watching schools and students underachieve. We have an obligation to students, their parents and their teachers to do better. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this important legislation. ____________________