Riley Announces $2.3 Million to Alabama for Comprehensive School Reform Programs

US Education Department Press Releases, Sep 30, 1998

Archived: Riley Announces $2.3 Million to Alabama for Comprehensive School Reform Programs A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n FOR RELEASE September 30, 1998

Contact: David Thomas (202) 401-1576 RILEY ANNOUNCES $2.3 MILLION TO ALABAMA FOR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM PROGRAMS

Alabama has received $2.3 million in a new federal education grant to help raise student achievement under comprehensive, research-driven approaches that strengthen entire schools and make their curricula more rigorous, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley announced today.

A total of 23 states have shared in $74 million awarded to date. Total funding for the program is $145 million. Additional states have applied and will be funded this fall; states have until June 30, 1999 to seek funding.

"These grants will both start and speed up needed schoolwide change in virtually all aspects of participating schools," Riley said. "They will expand both the quality and scope of reform efforts that enable all children, particularly at-risk youth, to meet challenging academic standards -- and help turn around low-performing schools."

The comprehensive reform program is designed to raise standards and build on other state and local efforts, through Title I and other reform programs. Under Title I, states must set measurable student performance goals and tie them to state content and performance standards. The comprehensive school reform grants will support local schools in achieving their goals and in helping students meet state standards.

Riley noted that the demonstration program will help point the way toward more effective use of federal funds for Title I "schoolwide programs" in more than 25,000 high-poverty schools that have a "schoolwide" option for use of Title I funds. States are also encouraged to use comprehensive school reform funds to help improve schools that have been identified as in need of improvement because of low student achievement.

Alabama will use about $1.9 million of the grant to make awards to support reform efforts in up to 37 schools served by the federal Title I program that have been identified as in need of improvement due to low student achievement. About $377,000 will be made available to assist up to seven additional schools, including non-Title I schools, that need to substantially raise student achievement based on their performance on the state assessment. Alabama plans to begin making awards to local school districts in December 1998.

In June 1998, Alabama presented a Comprehensive School Reform Models Showcase in which providers presented detailed descriptions of school reform models. In June and July 1998, Alabama and the federally-funded regional educational laboratory sponsored three regional proposal writing workshops. In addition, the state will partner with regional and state technical assistance providers to help select and support grant recipients.

School districts apply to the state on behalf of schools, groups of schools or charter schools, and describe the comprehensive program they will use and the evidence that it will improve student achievement. In funding schools, states may consider factors such as high dropout rates and are encouraged to support both urban and rural school districts throughout the state. Schools must integrate curriculum and instruction; student assessment; professional development; parent involvement and school management -- and bring in help from outside partners with experience in school reform.

While policy makers can select any comprehensive reform program with a successful and rigorous track record, including locally developed approaches, 17 models were specifically included in the legislation as examples. The models range from Success for All, a pre-K-6 program developed by Johns Hopkins University that emphasizes early reading, family involvement and cooperative learning, to the Modern Red Schoolhouse, a K-12 program developed by the Hudson Institute that offers a rigorous curriculum and high standards, emphasizes character, utilizes technology and individualizes student learning plans.

Also coined "Obey-Porter" for the two members of Congress who first introduced the proposal, the legislation provides funds to assist more than 2,000 schools this school year. Participating schools will receive at least $50,000 of comprehensive school reform funds per year, renewable for up to three years.

Most of the program funding -- $120 million -- is being awarded to states under the Title I formula and is targeted to schools with high proportions of children from low-income families. An additional $25 million, from the Fund for Improvement in Education, is available to both Title I and non-Title I schools based on each state's share of school-aged children.

Another $5 million will help local districts and schools identify what works and put those approaches into practice, including $4 million for regional education laboratories and other technical assistance. The Northwest Regional Laboratory has published a catalog of research-based programs as one resource for districts and schools to use as they develop their plans.