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EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ZONES: ' .
STRENGTHENING URBAN AND .RURAL BCHOOLS
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, January 26, 1998 \ "
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. I ,challenge'ev.ery school; district to adopt.high standcirds,. to ab/Jlish socialprof!1otion, t~
mOW! 'aggr,,!ssively'to help all students make the grade 'through tutorihg,and summer' . .
schools, and to hpld. schools 'ac~oimtable for ;esults, giving them the tools and the: .'
l~aders~ip a'nd'the,parentai invoivementio do ~hejob. . ' ,
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:,-- President Bill Clinton, October,2B, 1997
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HELPING' RAISE, ACHIEVEMENT FOR' STUDENTS IN 'HIGiI "POVERTY
COMl\1UNrrIES: President Clinton;s' EduQation,'Opportunity' Zones i~itiative, Fill strengthen
public schools and'helpstudents master the:basicswhere the need is,th~ greate~t in,high,poverty
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urban, and ruralcomrilUnities y.rhere :low expectatlbnS, 'too mahy',poorlyprepared teachers, 'and
'oyerwhelmedschool 'systems create significant'barri~rs to, highachievemen't The Education,
, \ Depart,mentwill select approximately' 50 high poverty urban and rural school districts that'igr~e to:'. '
". (1). use high stand~1fds,\and test~ of student achievement ,to identify qndprovide help' to, students~ .
teachers and schools who need it; (2) p~event' students froin falling behind by ensuring quali~y
teaching, challenging c~rriculci,andextended learning tiIne; and (3).ertd social promotion and turn
around failing sch601s. 'Added investments in:thesecommunit~es
accelerate their pr~gress and
provide 'successful moqels' of systen~-wide~ stpndards-based refor~ for the nation. TheYres!dent's
.iriitiative will ihvest $200 million in FY99, a~d $1.5 billion over 5 years; 'to r,aise achievementahd .
. ;;hare lessons,~earned ~ith school districts around the pountiy.·
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ENDING SOCIAL PROMOTION, AND GIVING SCHOOLS THE TOOLS TO HELP
EVERY~CIlILn MEETHIC:;H',EXPECTATIONS. To be ~electe~ as Educati~nOpportunity'
" Zon~s, s~h06L-districts; will hi;lve -to defuonstnite that they.areusing theireiistirig funds effectively,; .
to raise stude~t achie~eh1enr by;. holding 'schools accountable for helping'students reach high
"a~ade'~ic standards; including 're~ardingschools that succeed andirttervening in syhools ~hat fail to
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'make prqg~e'ss; , • \holdi~g te,achers and pr}ncipals accou~table for' quality" inclticling rewarding
outstanding teachers, pro~iding help to'teachers who 'need it, and fairly a~d quickly remoVing
. ineff~ctiveteachers;
• ensuring students qon'.t fan behind; by providing a rich curriculum, good '
te,achingarid~xt~rided lear~ing opporiu,nities; .'e¥ding sociil,proinoti<ms and}equiring stuqents .
to r:neet academic staI1dards at key transition points in their academic careers;and-'. providing,
, students and par.e~ts with schoolreportcardsand'expandedchoi~ewi~hin public ed~cation.
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EXTRA RESOURCES TO IMPROVE TEACHING, LEAll,NING, AND 'LEAQERSHIP.
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Schoof districts willl.lse Education Opportunity Zone funds to slipport standards-based, district-wide
.. reforms such as,::. rewarding schools that make 'significant gains in stude~t achievement;.• turning ';
around failing' schools' by implementing proven reforrri inode1s, or' closing them down and
,': reconstituting them;.' prpyiding extra help to'studeh'ts who need it to rrieet challenging standa;ds,',
through after-school, -Saturday, and/or summer school programs; .' building'stronger partnerships
:,between sclioolsand p~mints, businesses, and coml11unities; • implemeritingsoun~ ~management -' .'
p~actices andacco'untability·systems;' •. .
providing intensiveprbfessional developmentto teathers and
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principals;- helping ciutstancUng teachers earn master teacher certification frorrithe National Bbard
for Professional.Teacher St~dards'and' giving them' ~onuse~ when'they do; arid.' -,lmplen}~ntirig
. ~programsto identify lo~ perfornling teachers; assist' them to improve; and remove them if they fail
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'COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO SUPPORT PR,OMISING MODELS. Districts will be selected
': .,as EducationOppo'rtunity Zones under competitive,peer.-review process': A mix of large and
, smaller urban areas will be selected to parti'Cipate> as ~ell as rural ~chool.districts and co~sortia.
Each',luba'n,];ducation Opportunity Zone wil1;receive a.J:·year gr~ntof'$1-O~:i5'mil1i~n pery.ear'
(d~pendingupon size and proposed activities), and each rural Zone 'will receive from'$250,000to ' '
, $3 million (for c6ns~rtia);. Zones wlil be 'selected in two ro~nds, the ,first inFY 1999, and ,the second
, ' in FY 200 1. Sti~cessfu't 'applicants wlu ,have broad-based partner~hip~ to support, th'e'ir reforms - .
. " includihg, parents,:, teachers" ,l~cal governme~t, business, arid civic groups, iristitutioris of: higher
'. 'educ'ation and other key' stakeholders:' Successful· appli~~tioris will show hqw. the, distdct wlu use
,ap avai lableres~)Urces-- federal, state, ,and local,' as well as any business or' founclation funds '--to' ,
can:y o~t its reform strategy and ri;aip.tain it once the~e' fede~al funds are no long~r avail~ble, ' .
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REWARDS FOR DEMONSTRATED.STUDENTACHIEVEMENT GAINS. Each Educa,tion
,Opportunity Zone will agree~~,~pecifi~"ambiticius,:benchmarksfor impr0v~? student achievement, .
lower dropout rates and other irtdiditors of success; for. districtwide performance arid speCific student' , .
. ~ubgroups.' Districts may'receive further support in. years 4 and 50~1y" if they 'h~vedemol1stnlted" ,
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, succe;s Ii) reachjilg those benchmarks'. . ' ,
'GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN USING OTHER FEDERAL RESOlTRCES. All sch06ls inari
. Ed~cation Opportunity'Zone ;chool dist~ict -- reg'a~dless ofpo~erty le~el-- ~ill beco,me eligible for,
scho~lwide f1~xibility in the use of federal equcationfunds: Requirements pert~ining to school,
accouritability, as well as. special edu~ation,health, safety, 'and civil rights,'wiil continue to be met.'
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. ASSISTANCE TO HELP DISTRIctS FIND AND SHAREWHAT 'wORKS~ Th~'Dep~m~nt'
6fEducation will offerJechriicalassistance',use technology to 'help districts consult with each other>· .
and'disseminate le~sonsi.learned .to 'con'lm~nities nationwide.. Special attenti'on will be given to
'.' h~lping sch~~ldistri~ts: desig~ and iinpl~inent 'strategieq', forprovi~ing ,stud~n'ts who need it with
eafly interVentiorLmcl extra help to enable them to, meet promotion standards. In additiori, a national
evaluation, ofthe.Educa~ion Opportunity Zones, will be 'conducted, withthe,results'helping to inform
'. the next reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: ..
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. BOLD ACTION TO HELP CHILDREN, IN OUR CITIES AND RURAL AREAS., 'Education '
, '. Opporturiity e:onesarepart of a broader' set'~finitiatives to heip.strengthen high~pov¢rtyurban an'd"
.. rural s~hoois, PresidentrCli~ton is 'also propos}ng iiewinitiatives to reduce class size in, the primary'
gra.des, inbdernize :school buildings;recruit~nd prepare' teachers for underserved urhan and ~ural"
'. areas,and dr~maticaliy ex'panptheavailability and quality'of child, care and after-scnoollearnirtg
opportunities: These and ,other proposals will have a powerful ii;nPIlCt on improvi~g t~e prospects
,ofchilclreh.insoine'ofour_po6restco~m:tinities. ,", ..... , ~.'...,
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�EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ZONES
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
DRAFT for internal use only -- January 25, 1998
Overall Questions
What is the purpose of the Education Opportunity Zones?
This initiative will help accelerate and expand progress in 'high-poverty urban and
rural school districts that are on the right track, and highlight models of success.
Education Opportunity Zones will demonstrate how a serious approach to high
standards benefits all students. Funds will be targeted to, improve low,performing
schools, expand opportunities for student achievement, broaden choices for
families, and hold schools, teachers, and students accountable for results.
How does the Zone initiative relate to the President's other new initiatives?
Education opportunity zones are part of a 'broader set of initiatives to help
strengthen urban and rural schools. President Clinton has proposed a [$10 billio'n]
national campaign to modernize schools, a $350 million initiative to recruit and
prepare teachers for underserved urban and rural areas, and made a dramatic
commitment to expanding the availability and quality of child care and after-school
learning opportunities. These and additional proposals still to be announced will
have a powerful impact on improving the prospects of children in some of our
poorest communities.
Are you proposing this initiative as an alternative to respond to Republican calls for
vouchers?
The President is committe~ to strengthening public schools, not abandoning them.
Along with other new initiatives that will help raise achievement for urban and rural
students, like school construction and teacher recruitment and preparation, we are,
proposing Education Opportunity Zones in response to the clear need for sharp
improvements in the nation's poorest school districts and to ~ncourage and expand
promising school reform efforts that are taking a disciplined, effective approach
centered on high standards. The fact is that 90% of our students attend public
schools, and our primary responsibility, especially with limited federal resources, is
to make sure that the public schools they attend are among the best in the world.
This means concentrating our time and money on raising academic standards,
improving teaching, providing schools with technology and other up-to-date learning
tools, and creating charter schools and other forms of choice within the public
school system. In contrast to vouchers,' the Education Opportunity Zones will
support effe,ctive local efforts to improve education for all students in participating
districts, rather than just a few.
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This initiative clearly, encourages districts to discontinue social promotion. How do
you respond to criticisms of that approach?
The President strongly believes that we shouldn't promote kids who are not ready
because it will hurt them over the long term. This initiative is designed to hold
teachers and schools accountable, as well as students. ' Rather than punishing kids,
this initiative attempts to create the conditions under which districts take steps to
, ensure that students are ready to meet standards the first time, rather than falling
behind and needing remediation.
Qualified Applicants
What communities will be eligible for the Zone initiative?
High-poverty urban and rural school districts will be targeted under this initiative. In
order to be selected as Zones, districts will have to show that they have already
begun to raise student achievement, or that they have begun to put into place
credible and effective improvement policies.
How many school districts will be eligible to participate?
This initiative will target urban and rural school districts with a significant
percentage or a large number of students in poverty. This means that well over a
thousand districts will be eligible, including districts in every state.
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Are Zones entire school districts or smaller areas within school districts?
Entire school districts, or consortia of districts, will be designated Education
Opportunity Zones. Grant funds may be used for district-wide activities such as
improving sound management and assessment systems, as well as to improve
low-performing schools. Districts may choose to target their resources under the
initiative to subsets of low-performing schools.,
Will large cities receive a preference for designation as Zones?
Proposed legislation will 'direct the Secretary to seek to ensure that both large and
smaller urban areas are selected to participate, as well as rural school districts. We
expect that urban school districts will receive a substantial proportion of funding
under the initiative.
Can consortia of districts apply to be Zones?
Yes, consortia of districts can apply. We anticipate that most consortia will be
comprised of rural school districts.
Can charter schools participate in the program?
Under state law, public charter schools are generally either Local Educational
�Agencies (LEAs) or public schools within an LEA. Charter schools that are part of
an urban or rural school district designated as an Education Opportunity Zone may
benefit from this program. Charter schools that are considered an LEA themselves
are eligible to apply only if they meet the eligibility criteria for all LEAs. That is,
they must be high poverty and serve a small town or rural community or an urban
area. While charter schools may be eligible to apply, the purpose of this initiative is
to demonstrate that a district-wide, serious approach to high standards can help
raise achievement.
Are private schools eligible for funding under this program?
Private schools cannot be designated as Education Opportunity Zones, but
students, teachers and administrators associated with private schools within an
area served by a Zone will be eligible to participate, on an equitable basis, in
training and extended learning programs supported by the initiative. Likewise,
private school teachers and administrators will also be eligible to receive materials
and information developed through the grants.
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Can schools erving Native American students apply for funds?
Yes. Most IA schools and schools that serve large concentrations of Native
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American students will qualify as eligible applicants under this program. Many of
these schools are rural and have high percentages of students from low income
families. Proposed legislation will direct the Secretary to seek to ensure that there
is an equitable distribution of grants among geographic regions of the country and
to rural schools 'serving large concentrations of Native American students.
[Can territories and outlying areas apply for this program?]
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Grant Size and Scope
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How many grants are expected to be awarded and what will be their size?
The Zone initiative would invest appr~ximately $200 million in FY 99, and $1 .5
billion over five years. We expect to fund over 50 grants to urban and rural
communities. Urban school districts will receive grants of $10-25 million per year
(depending on the size and proposed activities). Rural communities will receive
grants of $250,000 to $3 ,million (for consortia) per year.
The Zones will be selected in two rounds, the first in FY 1999, and the second in
FY 2001.
Are grants renewable?
Grants will be awarded for 3 years. As part of their original grant award, districts
will agree to a rigorous performance partnership that includes specific benchmarks
for student success. Districts may receive further support in years 4 and 5 only if
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they have demonstrated success in reaching the agreed benchmarks.
Will districts have to provide matching 'funds?
No, districts will not have to provide an explicit match. However, a su'ccessful
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applicant will have to show how it will use all available resources, including the
new funds sought under the Education Opportunity Zones program, in order to
carry out its plan to raise student achievement. 'Moreover, each applicant must
show how it will continue to carry out its strategies using
other resources, at,the conclusion of Zones funding. Education Opportunity Zone
funding will be structured to phase out in latter years.
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Application Process and Grant Activities
What will districts have to include in their applications for funds? Must they
indicate which schools they will target for improvement?
Districts, will have to demonstrate in. their applications that they are using their
existing funds effectively. and have already begun to raise student achievement, or,
at a minimum, that they have begun to put into place credible and effective
improvement policies. They will also need to explain how they will address key
aspects of effective local reform such as: holding schools accountable for helping
students reach high academic standards, including rewarding schools that succeed
and intervening in schools that fail to make progress; holding teachers and ,
principals accountable for qU<illity, including rewarding outstanding teachers,
providing help to those who need it, and fairly and quickly removing ineffective
teachers; ensuring students don't fall behind, by providing a rich curriculum" good
teaching and extended learning opportunities; ending social promotions and
requiring students to meet academic standards at key transition points in their
academic careers; and providing students and parents with expanded choice within
public education.
Applicants must also demonstrate the support of all key stakeholders -- including
parents and teachers. They must describe how they will use all available resources
-- federat state, local, and private -- to carry out their reform strategies and how
they intend to maintain the reform,effort once federal funds expire. Furthermore,
successful applicants will need to describe how they will intervene in schools and
how they will measure progress, including defining rigorous benchmarks for
success.
How will Zones be selected?,
District$ or consortia will be selected under a competitive, peer-review process.
Reviewers will be looking for districts which best address the purposes of the
program and which demonstrate the greatest likelihood of modeling successful
, approach~s for raising achievement in high poverty urban and rural areas.
�What kinds of activities can the grant funds support?
School districts will use Education Opportunity Zone funds for key activities such
as: providing extra help to students who need it to meet challenging standards,
through after-school, Saturday, and/or summer school programs; providing bonuses
to schools that make significant gins in student achievement; turning around failing
schools by implementing proven reform models, or closing them down and
reconstituting them or reopening them as charter schools; building stronger
partnerships between schools and parents, businesses, and communities;
implementing sound management practices and accountability systems; providing
intensive professional development to teachers and principals; helping outstanding
teachers earn master teacher certifiCation from the National Board for Professional
Teacher Standards and giving them bonuses when they do; and implementing
programs to identify low performing teachers, assist them to improve; and remove
them if they fail to do so.
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What flexibility will districts have in the use of other resources?
, All public schools within an Education Opportunity Zone -- regardless of poverty
level ~- will become eligible for school wide flexibility in the use of federal education
funds. In other words, under the proposal, the 50% poverty threshold ordinarily
required for a school to become a schoolwide project would not apply to Education
Opportunity Zone schools. However, requirements pertaining to school
accountability, as well as special education, health, safety, and civil rights, will
continue to be met. :
What technical assistance will be available for Zones?
The Department of Education will provide expert technical assistance to the
Education Opportunity Zones through its technical assistance providers and by
convening granteesto share information and ideas. It will also utilize technology to
help districts consult with each other and disseminate lessons learned to urban and
rural communities across the U.S.
How will grantees be held accountable for results?
During the negotiation of each grant award, each Zone will agree to a rigorous
performance partnership with the Secretary' of Education. The performance
partnership must include specific, ambitious, disaggregated benchmarks in student
achievement, dropout rates, and other indicators of success. Districts will receive
additional financial support in years 4 and .5 only if they have demonstrated success
in reaching their agreed upon benchmarks.
Mr. Clay's legislation provides for the President to direct other agencies -- beyond
Education -- to assist local schools with problems like school construction. Does
the President's' proposal include a similar feature?
The White House and the Department of Education are beginning to consult with
other federal agencies to determine what kinds of assistance could be offered and
�what sort of arrangements would be most appropriate.
Connections to other initiatives
How do these new Zones. differ from Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities?
The Education Opportunity Zones initiative and the EZ/EC initiative support one
another, but are distinct. Education Opportunity Zones will consist of entire school
districts or consortia of school districts. Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities are specific neighborhoods or regions that mayor may not be
contiguous with school districts. While both are. in the spirit of bringing the
community together behind focused efforts to address local challenges, Education
Opportunity Zones are especially designed to address the educational needs of their
communities and school districts, whereas the EZ/EC initiative is aimed at broader
community revitalization strategies, which can include education but .also extend to .
economic development, community development, and job training. Communities
with a strong EZ/EC effort with a significant focus on education will be
well-positioned to rally the community together behind the kinds of effective school
reforms that will be supported by Education Opportunity Zones.
Do Zone districts have to participate in the national tests?
No. We are pleased that 15 major city school districts have already made a
commitment to take part in the national tests of 4th·grade reading and 8th grade
mat!), but participation in these tests is voluntary. However, successful Education.
Opportunity Zone applicants must show that they have firmly integrated challenging
standards and tests (which could include state, local, or national assessments) into
their strategies for raising student achievement.
How do Zones .relate to the Comprehensive School Reform Program? Do Zones
have to implement comprehensive school reform programs in their schools?
These two programs are distinct, but complementary, and both are geared to help
students reach high academic standards.
The Education Opportunity Zones .initiative distributes comparatively large grants
from the Department of Education to a fairly limited number of competitively
selected, high-poverty districts. The purpose of this initiative isto demonstrate
that a serious approach to high s.tandards, entailing accountability for students,
teachers, and schools, can help raise achievement across an entire district, or at
least within a sizable portion of a district.
The Comprehensive School Reform program established during the last session of
Congress provides formula funds to states which then distribute the funds
competitively to a significant number of districts on behalf of individual schools.
The purpose of the Comprehensive School Reform program is t? get individual
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�schools to successfully adopt tested reform models, or develop new, effective
models based on research. CSR funds can help school in Education, Opportunity
Zones implement proven models of reform, and can help provide additional
resources for Zones to use for turning around failing schools. The Education
Department will encourage states to make sure these important resources are
available to school districts eligible to be selected 'as EOZ's.
Will Education Opportunity Zones receive a preference for other initiatives, such as
school coristruction funding?
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At this time, there ,are no plans to provide additional incentives for participation
beyond in the Education Opportunity Zones initiative beyond the added funding and
flexibility that all Zones will receive. However, D,ther new initiatives will include
features targeting assistance on the kinds of high po'verty communities that the
Zones are designed to assist.
Process Issues
What kind of support do you expectto receive in Congress?
Improving public schools in our most disadvantaged communities should be a
bipartisan national' priority. Lawmakers in both parties are keen on finding tough,
effective ways to address low achievement in some of our largest cities, and we
expect this proposal to gain strong bipartisan support. We have been working with
Congressman Bill Clay of St. Louis, Ranking Democrat on the House Education and
the Workforce Committee, who has submitted urban education renewal legislation
which has helped to shape our own proposal.
How will the Administration solicit input from outside groups?
Last winter and spring the Department hosted five meetings with experts in urban
education to discuss urban needs and effective strategies for improving urban
education. Many of these groups have participated in meetings throughout the year
to offer advice on addressing urban education issues. Thus, the Administration's
proposal already reflects more than a year of input from key groups committed to
strengthening urban schools. Going forward, there will be many other opportunities
for additional input as the legislation and grant competjtion are desig~ed.
When will a bill go to Congress?
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Work is underway at the Department to prepare legislative specifications, but we
plan to do additional consultations with Congress and ,stakeholders in the education
community before transmitting our proposal to the Hill.
Do y'ou anticipate that.all districts cited as examples in your materials will be
selected for the program?
�No. Each district cited helps illustrate one or more of the kinds of policies and
activities to be supported under the Zones initiative, but no single district -- urban
or rural -- b.est addresses each of the purposes of the program or will automatically
. be selected.
�Michael Cohen
12/15/9702:40:56 PM
Record Type:
To:
Record
' Bruce N. Reed/OPD/EOP,Elena Kagan/OPD/EOP .
cc:
Subject: Heads up on Opportunity Zones
An issue surfaced today during a meeting with ED and OMS staff as we continUE) to nail down the
details of the Zones proposal that you need to be aware of. The short version (details below) is
that OMS may not yet be on board with our version of Zones, and Frank Raines may still be
wedded to (his) alternative version. ,
I assume that since OPC, ED and POTUS all have a common view of this, OMS's lingering concerns
don:t matter much. However, since the budget is not yet nailed down, and I'ni not entirely clear
on the process for completing the design of an initiative that has already been leaked and .
incorporated 'into the working 'budget, I thought I shouldn't entirely blow this off, and that you
ought to know where things stand.
So here's the deal:
You rec'all that OMS has had a different conception of this initiative than we have. OMS has seen
this as a pot of funds with which to reward school districts that have made significant achievement
gains with their own funds and federal funds, since new federal programs focused on higher
standards (Goals 2000 and an overhauled Title 1) be'gan to be put in place in 1995. They'd get a
relatively modest amount of funding in the first 3 years of the program, and then a big increase in
years 4and 5 only if they've made significant achievement gains.
, In contrast, we've seen this more as a pot of funds we could use to bribe more districts in
implementing Chicago-style reforms in order to create models of urban and rural improvement. The
funding needs to be up front both to support implementatio~ and to provide ';m incentive for
districts to step up to some particularly difficult challenges.
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As a resultof lots of discussions with Sarry White and his staff, starting from just before our leak,
we've designed a proposal that pretty well merges both views--we keepour'financial inducement
for Chicago reforms, and build in a reward-for-performance component in two parts of the program.
First, by requiring districts that compete for the funds to demonstrate that they already have a
track record of improving academic performance, district-wide or at least in a few schools where
they set out to turn things around. Second, districts that show significant achievement gains over
the 3-year grant they receive get a bonus of two years of additional funding', although at a lower
rate than the first 3 years. OPC and ED are together on this.
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Today, Wayne Upshaw and Mary Cassel from OMS indicated that Frank Raines had been directly
involved in shaping the OMS proposal and really felt strongly about their particular version of
rewards-for-performance, including in particular the back-loading of funding. No one in OMS has
yet gone back to him to get his views on the new approach that has emerged. They will get a
memo on this to him tomorrow. Sill is revising our 2-pagedescription of the program to reflect the
progress we have made since the leak, and we will make sure this goes to Frank.
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In our meetings and work, I've continued to move along according to our own design, while looking
for ways to incorporate OMB's ideas where ever possible. I assume that's the best thing to do
unless Frank 'weighs in and tries to move us in another direction--at which point both of you will. be
called in for the final battle.
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�M. Cohen
12/1
Strengthening Public Schools By Raising Standards, Expanding Opportunity, and
Requiring Accountability
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NEW ADMINISTRATION EDUCATION INITIATIVES UNDER DEVELOPMENT. The
Administration is developing a package of new education initiatives' designed to strengthen
public schools, continue the push for all students to meet high academic standards, and help
stu~ents take advantage of significant new financial aid for college. The initiatives are geared
towards the needs of students and schools in impoverished urban and rural areas.. These
initiatives would:
•
Declare high-poverty school districts as Education Opportunity Zones, making them
. eligible for additional Federal funding if they adopt tough reform measures --like those
adopted in Chicago -- that make administrators, principals, teachers, and students truly
accountable for success or failure.
•
. Give low-income kids middle-class expectations of college and success by reaching them
in the sixth or seventh grade with (1) a strong -message about the college financial aid
they are eligible for, and (2) intensive, sustained mentoring and other support through
programs sponsored by colleges.
•
Help communities throughout the country deal with the problems of overcrowded and
aged school facilities,and the need for substantiai renovations and repairs.·
\
These initiatives have not yet been finalized. Consultation with the education community, state
and local officials, higher education, community groups and others is still underway . Final
budget numbers will not be determined until the FY 1999 budget process is completed.·
. EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ZONES: OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
FOR REACHING CHALLENGING ACADEMIC STANDARDS. The Administration is
'. developing an Education Opportunity Zones initiative. This competitive challenge grants
program is aimed at demonstrating comprehensive, coordinated and effective approaches to
expanding opportunities for students in high poverty urban and rural school.districts, coupled
with a balanced approach to increased responsibility for results for schools, educators and
students themselves.
To receive funds, local school districts will demonstrate how they will:
•
provide students and parents with choice within the public school system;
•
hold schools accountable for helping students reach academic standards, including
rewarding schools that succeed and intervening in schools that fail to make progress;
�- h o l d teachers and principals accountable for quality, including rewarding outstanding
, te(!,Chers, and implementing processes for fairly and quickly removing ineffective
teachers.
-
.
'
require students to meet academic standards ~t key transition points in their academic
careers.
School districts can use Education Opportunity Zone funds to:
-
provide extra help to students in need it in order to meet challenging standards, through
after·school or Saturday tutoring programs and/or summer school.
-
provide bonuses to schools that make significant gains in student achievement, and turn
around failing schools by implementing proven refonn models, providing intensive
teacher training, building stronger partnerships between schools and parents, businesses
and community·based organizations, or closing down failing schools and reopening them
as charter schools .. '
-
, provide needed training to teachers and principals; reward outstanding teachers by
helping them earn certification as master teachers from the National Board for
Progressional Teaching standards and providing them with financial incentives' when they
do; and implement programs to identify low perfonning teachers, providing theJ!l help to
improve, and removing them fairJy and quickly if they don't.
, Examples of Local School Districts Using These Approaches. (See Attachment)
Spreading Practices Natio,Dwide. These are the kinds of approaches that must be replicated
everywhere in order to strengthen public schools. The President's Education Opportunity Zones
challenge grants will help demonstrate how they' can work and spread them to cities and rural
communities with students that can benefit from them the most. They Will help make sure that
our most disadvantaged students are held to high academic standards and helped to reach them.
They will help make sure that disadvantaged students can choose among good public schools,
and are not trapped in failing schools. They,will help reach the President's goal of having at least'
one Master Teacher in every school, which is particularly important for students in high poverty
schools, because these schools often have the least well prepared teachers.
Budget. No infonnatlonto be provided at this time.
Q. Wilnocal districts have to use the national test in order to participate in this
initiative? ,
.
A. ' No, we have consistently said that use ofthe tests is voluntary and would not be a
condition ofreceiving federal funds. We expect each district to demonstrate that they are
using challenging academic standards··either their own or'those adopted by the state. Of
course, they are free to use the national tests if they wish, qnd 15 ofthe largest urban
�school systems have already signed up to use the tests when they become available (in
2000). Keep in mind that the national reading and math standards are generally higher
than what is being used in most states and districts; it would be unrealistic to use them
for accountability purposes in the short run, though districts may want to phase this in
overtime.
6TH GRADE MENTORING INITIATIVE•
.•
Building on successful "I Have a Dream" type programs, this effort would target high
poverty students in sixth or seventh grade and (1) make sure they know money is no
longer a barrier to college, and (2) provide them with an adult mentor; other support
services, and a connection to a college, sustained from middle school through high school
graduation.
•
Goal is to create, in all children, the expectation that they will go to college.
.•
•
•
A key role is envisioned for colleges to ensure a high-quality, sustained effort;
Administration officials have already sought advice from more than 200 college
presidents and many education associations.
Research demonstrates that these types of efforts are effective. For example, in the
rigorou.sly-evalmited Quantum Opportunities Program, 42 percent of the participants
attended college, compared to 16 percent in the control group.
. This would be connected to a wider information campaign to make all Americans aware
of the financial aid that is now available for college.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION. President Clinton intends to continue to
press the Congress to enact a School Construction Initiative, to help states and local comtnunities
throughout the country deal with the problems of overcrowded and aged school facilities, and the
need for substantial renovations' and repairs.
.
•
Previous proposal was $5 billion in interest subsidies, with.half of it going to the 100
school districts. with the largest number of poor children. Since then, a number of other
proposals have been developed in Congress. We are reviewing all of the approaches.
J
�CHALLENGE GRANTS FOR URBAN AND RURAL EDUCATION
OPPORTUNITY ZONES -- EXAMPLES OFACTIVITIES THAT COULD
BE SUPPORTED UNDER THE PROPOSAL
" Proposed FY 99 Budget Initiative
DRAFT -- November 29, 1997
Student Assistance and Accountability:
•
In Chicago, many students participate in the district's Lighthouse after-school program,
. which features intense reading/math instruction, social activities; a meal, and other
enrichment activities. Students in the,district who perform below minimum standards at
key transition grades (3~ 6,8 and 9) are required to participate in a seven-week'
"SummerBridge" program and pass a test before'moving on to the next grade. Over
45,000 students were served in the SiunmerBridge program in 1997, and over 144,000
students participated in some form of summer activity.
I
•
This summer Denver served approximately 2,400 students in grades 3, 5, and 8 who were
required to attend to address subpar reading scores. And the Long Beach school district
required 1,600 third graders who had not attained reading proficiency by the end of the
year to attend five-week tutorial sessions.
•
In Cincinnati, student promotion is now based on specific standards that define what
students must know and be able to do. The standards are designed to prepare students to
pass the state's ninth-grade proficiency test.
•
As part of the superintenden.t's focus on reading, the Houston school district is hiring 150
reading coaches. The coaches, mainly college students, will receive $10 per hour to tutor
about 1,000 children on a one-to-one basis. Designed by the University of Texas at
Dallas, the program will use an intensive approach. The university is training the tutors
and the district is funding the program from the general budget.
Staff Effectiveness and Accountability:
•
Charlotte..Mecklenburg's Benchmark Goals program gives cash awards of $750 to
$1,000 to teachers in schools when their students meet a range of goals based on their
previous performance. The goals are structured so that schools have an incentive to raise
the achievement of their lowest performing students. It also focuses on goals for African
American students, who historically have been under-achievers in the Charlotte school
,system, ensuring that schools work to close the achievement gap With white students.
•
In Cincinnati, school district administrators' pay raises are now linked to job
performance, with automatic cost-of-living adjustments and salary rates being replaceg
with new criteria, including performance on several measures such as student test scores
and graduation rates. The district is also preparing a system 'for providing financial
rewards to schools based on student achievement, to take effect in 1998-99.
�•
In St. Paul,. the school district is collabprating with the teachers' union and the University
of Minnesota on Project 20/20 to support teachers through the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process. The district pays the
application fees and the university and other partners develop and conduct professional
support programs for the candidates.
•
States like North Carolina and Kentucky, and school districts like Los Angeles, are
providing significant salary increases to reward National Board Certified Master
Teachers.
•
Peer review and assistance programs help beginning teachers learn to teach and help
veterans who are having difficulty improve their teaching or leave the classroom without '
union grievances,or delays. In Cincimiati, for example, low-performing teachers can be
assigned to an intervention program where they gain assistance from colleagues and,
administrators, and if unable to improve, are counseled out of the profession or removed.
In Cincinnati, as well as Toledo, while most teachers improve their performance, roughly
one-third of the teachers referred to intervention have left teaching by the end of the year, '
through resignation, retirement or dismissal. "
,
'
In Rochester, expert, experienced teachers can be selected through a rigorous evaluation
process as "lead teachers" and given 'significant salary stipends to become involved with
peer counseling, or to take on other reform-related priorities such as consulting with new
teachers, accepting positions in "intervention" schools, and developing curricula.
Columbus and Seattle also have aggressive peer review programs.
•
New York City's Community District 2 places an unusually strong emphasis on providing
ongoing opportunities for teachers to build skills and learn from one another., For example,
the district has created a laboratory in which visiting teachers observe and practice with a
highly accomplished teacher for three weeks while their classrooms are taught by another
experienced teacher. District 2 registered the second highest standardized test scores in
math and reading in the city.
•
In 1996, Memphis opened its new Teaching and Learning Academy, which coordinates
professional development opportunities for all teachers in the district. The Academy
offers workshops in all major areas of school reform including leadership, core content,
performance assessment, and uses of technology.
School' Improvement and Accountability:
•
The San Francisco Unified School District places low-performing schools on a one-year
probationary period, during which they are expected to improve student performance. If
there is I}.O improvement, the school is reconstituted. All staff must reapply for jobs at
their school, and the Board hires a new principal, who in tum hires a new teaching staff
and support staff. The new team must then put together an improvement plan to raise
student achievement. Since the 1993-94 school year, ten schools have been reconstituted.
�•
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system distributes to parents easy-to-read student
learning goals at the beginning of the school year. The district then follows up with .
school report cards on student attendance and performance that are distributed to parents
and every household in the district, and are published in the newspaper, in part to help
inform parents' decisions about the district's magnet schools.
•
IIi Chicago, schools can be placed on probation due to low student achievement. These
schools will be targeted for aggressive intervention strategies by the district, such as
providing intensive help and training from expert teams of educators, or, where
necessary, replacing ineffective principals and teachers. In the event of persistent failure,
the district may shut down and reorganize the schools. ,Seven high schools were
reconstituted between the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years.
,
,
Chicago also recognizes a number of exemplary schools, providing financial rewards of
$5,000 and $ 10,000. to the winners to become professional development centers for other
schools. Seventeen schools were awarded exemplary status in the first year. ,
•
As part of Kentucky's school, accountability program Under the Kentucky Education
Reform Act, schools that do not reach academic and non-academic (attendance, retention,
dropout, transition to the next level of schools or the job market) accountability targets
must develop their own school improvement plan. If a school fails to improve over the
next two years, the state assigns a distinguished educator to provide support and advice to
the school. If the school's performance contihues to decline, the state can assume control.
Although the state has yet to take over a school, 88 schools were recently identified as
being in decline and nine have been placed in the "crisis" category.
•
Late last summer, Cleveland reconstituted two elementary schools that had failed to meet
district-mandated school performance indicators and where there had been significant
internal strife among staff members. The district reassigned the schools' principals and
~ked all teaching staff to re~pply for their positions. As a result, about two-thirds of
'teachers at the reconstituted schools are new to the buildings this year. And earlier this
year Denver, working closely with the teacher's union there, reconstituted two
elementary schools, replacing nearly the entire staff at each.
•
New York City also has a union-district negotiated process for "redesigning" schools
identified by the state as failing. Such schools can replace approximately half the
incumbent teaching faculty.
•
In Memphis, since 1995, about half of all schools have adopted a ,"break-the-mold"
reform model, including several of the models developed by the New American Schools
Development Corporation.
�Public School Choice:
•
In Boston, all parents choose their child's public school, and have a wide array of options
ranging from neighborhood schools, magnet schools, and pilot and public charter schools
which operate under performance contracts that prov.ide them with· greater autonomy and
ac~ountability for results.
•
The Houston Independent School District recently instituted an open choice program.
Parents may send their children to any of the district's 258 schools provided the school is
enrolled at 95 percent of capacity or below. The district is currently analyzing available
space and pl~s'to publish the information in the near future; parents will apply to the
district transfer office to change schools. HISD will not transport students to schools
outside their attendance area. in addition to this choice program, the district has launched
an aggressive effort to support in-district charter schools.
•
Cambridge allows every family to choose a public school for their child. The school
dis1;rict provides information on every school and has created parent centers to help parents.
learn about and choose a public school for their child. More than 90% of parents get their
first choice of kindergarten for their child, and most get one of their top picks at all grade
levels.
•
The San Diego school district has helped parents, teachers, and principals create more than
a dozen public charter schools that stay open only as long as they do a good job; These are
all schools of choice, publicly accountable and open to students from around the school
district.
•
In August 1997, Denver's first charter school re-opened as the Pioneer Charter School
(PCS). PCS is ajoint effort of the school district and the University of Denver (DU), .
enrolling 320 students from throughout Denver in grades Pre.:.K-5, with priority given to
students residing in specific economically depressed communities. The school is to serve
as an incubator for practices to support high achievement for urban students. The school
features a personalized instruction plan for each student;a year-round calendar (an
additional 20 days each year and 45-day, instructional periods with I5-day intersession
breaks); an extended day that begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 6 PM; and access to basic
health care, community and social and education services for stUdents and their families.
�URBAN-RURAL CHALLENGE GRANTS -- USE OF FUNDS
Urban District tbe Size of Cincinnati
'REVISEDDRAFT -- November 29, 1997
In order to address key priorities identified in this initiative, a school district the size of
, Cincinnati (52,000 students, 83 schools, 3,000 teachers) could make the following
investments, which could be paid for with challenge grant funds, or with other federal,
state and local funds.
Student Assistance and Accountability:
Year 1
Extra help after school and summers
(1,850 kids in summer; 26,000
kids in after-school)
Student accountability/info for
parents and students _
SUBTOTAL
$4.5M
.5M
$5M
, Year 3
$4.5M
.25M
$4.75 M
Staff Effectiveness and Accountability:
Cash bonuses for effective schools
$660,000
(covers over 800 teachers at
25 schools)
Fees and bonuses for National Board certification 487,500
(Fees for 150 teachers a year, bonuses
for 75, or nearly 1 teacher per school)
Extra summer teacher professional development
900,000
(Covers 600 teachers)
Training and salary supplements for
500,000
teacher peer counseling
(50 mentor-teachers)
250,000
, Summer principal leadership institutes
(Covers 50 principals)
$2.8M
SUBTOTAL
$660,000
862,500
900,000
500,000
250,000
$3.2M
School Improvement and Accountability:
, Support adoption ofeffective reforms/
reconstitution in lowest 10% of
schools (8 additional schools
.per year)
SUBTOTAL
','
$1.2 M
$1.2M
$2.2M
$2.2M
�Public School Choice:
Public school choice info programs
Transportation (over 750 kids)
New School Start-ups
(Help start 3 new schools
per year)
SUBTOTAL
500,000
350,000
'300,000
250,000
350,000
300,000
$1.15 M
$.9M
GRAND TOTAL
$10.15 M
$11.05 M
OTHER FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR CINCINNATI
Porter-Obey
Under preliminary estimates, Ohio could receive nearly $6 M in Porter-Obey funds; no further
breakdown currently available. Based solely on enrollment,one could expect that about
3% would go to Cincinnati, or about $180,000 total. If, based on poverty, grant quality,
etc., Cincinnati received 10% of Ohio's share, or $600,000; that would be about Kthe
amount projected here for beginning dramatic improvements or reconstitution in the
lowest-achieving 10% of the district's schools.
Goals 2000
Technology
Title I
Title II
$141,500
[number from district seemed questionable]
$19.9 M
$314,500
�Page
___ ''W
'~nnN'''//_'
DRAFT
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Strengthening Public ~chools By Raising Standards, Expanding Opportunit'y ~ and
.
Requiring Accountability
OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR R,EACHING CHAb,LEN.GING ACADEIVIIC
STANDARDS. The Administration is'developing an Education Opportunity Zones
initiative. This competitive. challenge grants pr'ogram'is aimed at demonstrating
comprehensive, coordinated and effective 'approaches to eXPi3riding opportunities
for students in high poverty urban and rural 'school districts, coupled with a
balanced approach to increased responsibility fqr results for schools" educators and
students themselves. High-poverty school districts will be eligible for additional
, Federal funding if (1) they now adopt tough reform measures '-- like those adop'ted'
in Chicago -- that make administrators, principals, teachers, and students truly
accountable for succes~ or failure, and (2), in time, show real improvements in
student achievement.
To receive funds, local school districts, will demonstrate how they will:
•
provide students and parents with choice within the public school system;
•
hold schools accountable for helping students reach academic standards,
including rewarding schools that succeed and intervening in schools that fail
to make progress;
,
'
•
hold teachers and principals accountable for qualify, including rewarding
outstandihg teachers, and implementing processes for fairly and quickly
removing ineffective teachers.'
•
require students to meet, academic standards at key transition points in their
academic careers.
School distriCts can use Education Opportunity Zone funds to:
•
•
, provide extra help to students in need it in order to meet challenging
standards, through after-school or Saturday tutoring programs and/or
summer school.
provide bonuses to schools that make significant gains in student
achievement, and turn around failing schools by implementing proven reform
models, providing intensive teacher trairi[ng, building stronger partnerships
between schools and parents, businesses and community-based
organizations, or closing down failing schools and reopening them as charter
�schools.
•
provide needed training to te,achers' and principals; reward outstanding
teachers by helping them earn certification as master teachers from the
National Board for Professional Teaching standards and providing them with' ,
financial incentives when they do; and implement programs to identify low
performing teachers, providing them help to improve, and removing them
fairly and quickly if they don't.
Examples of Local School Districts Using These Approaches. (See Attachment)
Spreading Practices Nationwide. These are the kinds of approaches that must be
. replicated everywhere in order to strengthen public schools. The' President's
EdtJCation Opportunity Zones challenge grants will help demonstrate how they can,
work and spread them to cities and rural communities with st~dents that can
benefit from them the most. They will help make sure that our most disadvantaged
, students are held to high academic standards and helped to reach them. ThE;ly will
help make sure that disadvantaged students can choose among good public
schools, ,and are not trapped in failing schools. :They will help reach the President's
goal of having at least one Master Teacher in every school, which is' particularly
' .
iniportant for students in high poverty schools, because these schools often have
the least well prepared teachers.
' , ;
Budget. No information to be' provided at this time. These initiatives have not yet
been finalized. Consultation with the education community, state and local
officials, higher education, comm\Jnity groups and others is still underway. Final
budget numbers will not be determined until the FY 1999 budget process
completed.
is
�CHALLENGE GRANTS FOR URBAN AND RURAL EDUCATION .
OPPORTUNITY ZONES -- EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES THA T COULD
BE SUPPORTED UNDER THE PROPOSAL
Proposed FY 99 Budget Initiative
DRAFT--November29,1997
Student Assistance and Accountability:
•
In Chicago, many students participate in the district's Lighthouse after-school
program, which features intense reading/math instruction, social other
enrichment activities, and a meal. Students 'in the district who perform below
minimum standards ,at key transition grades (3, 6, 8 and9) are required to
participate in a seven-week "SummerBridge" program and pass a test before
moving on to the next grade., Over 45,000 students were served in the
SummerBridge program in 1997, and over 144,000 students participated in
some fo'rm of summer activity.
•
This summer Denver served approximately 2,400 students in grades 3, 5,
and 8 who were required to attend ' summer school to' address subpar reading
.
scores.
,
'
•
The Long Beach school district required 1,600 third graders who had not
attained reading proficiency by the end of the year to attend five-week
tutorial sessions.
•
In Cincinnati, student promotion is now based on specific standards that.
define what students must know and be able to do. The standards are
designed to prepare students to pass the state's ninth-grade proficiency test.
•
As part of the superintendent's focus on reading, the Houston school. district
is hiring 150 reading coaches .. The coaches, mainly college students tutor
about 1,000 children on a one-to-one basis at $10 an hour. Designed by the
University of Texas at Dallas, the program will use an intensive approach.
The university is training the tutors and the district is funding the program
from the general budget.
Staff Effectiveness and Accountability:
•
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Benchmark Goals program gives cash awards of
$750 to $1,000 to teachers in schools when their students meet a range o'f
goals based on their previous performance. The goals are structured so that
schools have an incentive to raise the achievement of their lowest performing
�students. It also focuses on goals for African Americanstudents, who
historically have been under-achievers in the Charlotte school system,
ensuring that schools work to. close the achievement gap with white.
students.
•
In Cincinnati, school district administrators' pay raises are now linked to job
performance, with automatic cost-of-living adjustments ,and salary rates
being replaced with new criteria, including performance on several measures
such as student test scores and, graduation rates. The district' is also
preparing a system for providing .financial rewards to schools based on
student achievement, to take effect in 1998-99.
•
In St. Paul, the school district is colla,borating with tIle teachers' union and the University
of Minnesota on Project 20/20 to support teachers through the National Board for
Professional'Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process. The district pays the
application fees and the university and other partners develop and conduct. professional
support programs for'the candidates..
•
States like North Carolina and Kentucky; and school districts like Los'
Angeles, are providing significant salary increases to reward National Board
Certified Master Teachers.
•
Peer review and assistance programs help beginning teachers learn to teach
ar: d help veterans who are having difficulty improve their teaching or leave,
the classroom without union grievances or delays. In Cincinnati, for
example, low-performing teachers can be assigned to an intervention
program where they gain assistance fro 111 colleagues and administrators, and
if unable to improve, are counseled out of the profession or removed. In
Cincinnati, as well as Toledo, while most teachers improve their
performance, roughly one-third of the teachers referred to intervention have
left teaching by the end of the year, through resignation, retirement or'
dismissal.
.
.
In Rochester, expert, experienced teachers can be selected through a
rigorous evaluation process as "lead teachers". and given significant salary
stipends to become involved with peer counseling, or to take on other
reform-related priorities such as consulting with new teachers, accepting
positions in "intervention" schools, and developing curricula. Columbus and
Seattle also have' aggressive peer review programs.
•
New York City's Community District 2 places an unusually strong emphasis 011
providing ongoing opportunities for teachers to build skills and learn from one
another. For example, the district enables visiting teachers to observe and
practice with a highly accomplished teacher for three weeks while their
classrooms are taught by another experienced teacher. District 2 registered the
�second highest standardized test scores in math and reading in the city.
•
In 1996, Memphis opened its,new Teaching and Learn~ngAcademy, whi~h
coordinates professional development opportunities .for all teachers in the
,district. The Academy offers workshops in all major areas of school reform
including leadership, core content, performance assessment, and uses of
technology.
School Improvement and Accountability:
•
The San Francisco Unified School District places low-performing schools on a
one-year probationary period, during which they are expected to improve
, . student performance. If there is no improvement, the school 'is
reconstituted. All staff must reapply for jobs at their school, and the Board
hires a new principal, who in turn 'hires a new teaching staff and support
staff. The new team must then put together an improvement plan to raise
student achievement. Since the 1993-94 school year, ten schools have been
reconstituted.'
•
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school. system distributes. to parents easy-to-read
student 'learning goals at t~e beginning of the school year. The district then
follows up with school report cards on student attendance and performance
that are distributed to parents and every household in the district, and are
published in the newspaper, in part to help inform parents' decisions about
the district's magnet schools ..
•
In Chicago, s'chools can be placed on probation due to low student
These schools will be targeted for aggressive intervention
strategies by the district, such as provi.ding intensive help and training from
expert teams of educators, or, where necessary, replacing ineffective
principals and ~eachers. In the event of persistent failure, the district may
shut down and reorganize the schools. Seven high schools were
reconstituted between the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years.
achievem~nt.
Chicago also recognizes a number of exemplary schools, providing financial
. rewards of $5,000 and $1 o,oqo to the winners to become professional
development centers for other schools ..Seventeen schools were awarded
exemplary status in the first year.
•
As part of Kentucky's school accountability program under the Kentucky
Education Reform Act, schools that do not reach academic and non-academic
(attendance, retention, dropout, transition to the next level of schools or the
job market) accountability targets must develop their own school
improvement plan. If a school fails to improve over the next two years, the
state assigns a distinguished educator to provide support and advice to the
�school. If the school's performance continues to decline, the state can
assume control. Although the state has yet to take over a school, 88
schools were recently identified as being in'decline and nine have been
placed in,the "crisis" category. The state alsorewardsschools that have
demonstrated substantial progress by distributing $27 million to 502 schools
in 1997.
Late last summer, Cleveland reconstituted two elementary schools that had
failed to meet ,district-mandated school performance indicators and where
there 'had been significant internal strife among staff members. The district
reassigned the schools' principals and asked all teaching staff to reapply for
their positions. As a result, about two~thirds of teachers at the reconstituted
schools are new ,to the buildings this year. And earlier this year Denver,
working closely with the teacher's union there, reconstituted two elementary
schools, replacing ,nearly the entire staff at each.
•
New York City also has a union-district negotiated process for "redesigning",
schools identified by the state as failing. Such schools can replace,
approximately half the incumbent teaching faculty.
•
In Memphis, since 1995, about half of all schools have adopted a
"break-the-mold" reform model, including several of the models developed by
the New American Schools Development Corporation.
Public School Choice:
•
In Boston, all parents choose their child's public school, and have a wide array of options
ranging from neighborhood schools, magnet school~, and pilot and public charter schools
which operate under performance contracts that provide them with greater autonomy and
accou,ntability for results.
•
The Houston Independent School District recently instituted an open choice
program. Parents may send their children to any of the district's 258
schools provided the school is enrolled at 95 percent of capacity or below.
The district is currently analyzing available space and plans to publish the ,
information in the near future; parents will apply to the district transfer ,office
to change schools. HISD will not transport students to schools outside their
attendance area. In addition to this choice program, the district has launched
an aggressive effort to support .in-district charter schools.
•
Cambridge allows every family to choose a public school for their child. The school
district provides information on every school and has created parent centers to help parents
learn about and choose a public school for their child: More than 90% of parents get their
�first choice of kindergarten for their child, and most get one of their top picks at all grade
levels.
The San Diego school district has helped parerits, teachers, and prinCipals create more than
a dozen public charter schools that stay open only as long as they doa good job. These are
all schools of choice, publicly accountable and open to students from around the school
district.
•
In August 1997, Denveropened its fir::;t charter school as the Pioneer Charter
School (PCS). PCS. is a joint effort of the school district and the University
of Denver (DU), enrolling 320 students from throughout Denver in grades
Pre-K-5, with priority given to students residing in specific economically
depressed communities. The school is to serve as an incubator for practices
to support high achievement for urban students. The school features a
personalized instruction plan for each student; a year-round calendar (an
additional 20 days each year and 45-day instructional periods with 15-day
intersessionbreaks); an extended day that begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 6
PM; and access to basic health care, community and social and education
services for students and their families.
�M. Cohen
12/1
Strengthening Public Schools By Raising Standards, Expanding Opportunity, and
Requiring Accountability
NEW ADMINISTRATION EDUCATION INITIATIVES UNDER DEVELOPMENT. The
Administration is developing a package of new education initiatives designed to strengthen
public schools, continue the push for all students ·to meet high academic standards, and help
students take advantage of significant new financial aid for college. The initiatives are geared
towards the needs of.students and schools in" impoverished urban and rural areas. These
. initiatives would:
•
Declare high-poverty school districts as Education Opportunity Zones, making them
eligible for additional Federal funding if(1) they now adopt tough reform measures -- like
those adopted in Chicago -- that make administrators, principals, teachers, and students
truly accountable for success or failure, and (2) in time, show real improvements in
student achievement.. .
•
Give low-income kids
ectations of college and success by reaching them
bythe sixth or seventh gr e with
,a strong message about the college financial aid
they are eligible for, and (2 'nt sive, sustainedmentoring and other support through
programs sponsored by part
hips of colleges and schools. '
•
Help communities throu out the ountry deal with the problems of overcrowded and
aged school facilities, d the need r substantial renovations and repairs,
These initiatives have not yet been finalized. Consultation with the education community, state
and local officials, higher education, community groups' and others is still Underway . Final
budget numbers will not be determined until the FY 1999 budget process is completed.
OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR REACHING CHALLENGING
, ACADEMIC STANDARDS. The Administration is developing an Education Opportunity
Zones initiative. This competitive challenge grants program is aimed at demonstrating
comprehensive, coordinated and effective approaches to expanding opportunities for students in
high poverty urban and rural school districts, coupled with a balanced approach to increased
responsibility for results for' schools, educators and students themselves.
To receive funds, local school districts will demonstrate how they will:
•
provide'students and parents with choice within the public school system;
•
hold schools accountable for helping sWdents reach academic standards, including
rewarding schools that succeed and intervening in schools that fail to make progress;
�•
•
.
. .
.
hold teachers and principals accountable for quality, including rewarding outstanding
teachers, and implementing processes for fairly and quickly removing ineffective
teachers.
require students to meet academic standards at key transition points in their academic
careers .
. School districts can use Education Opportunity Zone funds to:
•
provide extra help to students in need it in ,order to meet challenging standards, through'
after-school or Saturday tutoring programs and/or sllIl1111er school.
•
provide bonuses to schools that make significant gains in student achievement, imd turn
around failing schools by:implementing proven reform models, providing intensive
teacher training, building stronger partnerships between schools and parents, businesses
and community-based organizations, or closing down failing schools and reopening them
as charter schook
•
provide needed training to teachers and principals; reward outstanding teachers by
helping them earn certification as master teachers from the National Board for
Professional Teachi,ng standards and providing them with financial incentives when they
do; and i~plement·programs to identify low performing teachers, providing them help to
improve; and removing them fairly and quickly if they don't.
'
. Examples of Local School Districts Using These Approaches. (See Attachment)
Spreading Practices Nationwide. These are the kinds of approaches that must be replicated
everywhere in order to strengthen public schools. The President's Education Opportunity Zones
challenge grants will help demonstrate how they can work and spread them to cities and rural
communities with students that can benefit from them the most. They will help make sure that
our most disadvantaged students are held to high academic standards and helped to reach them.
They Will help make sure that disadvantaged students can choose among good public schools,
and are not trapped in failing schools. They will help reach the President's goal of having at least
one Master Teacher in every school, which·is particularly important for students in high poverty
schools, because these schools often have the least well prepared teachers.
'
Budget. No information to be provided at this time.
Q. Will local districts have to use the nationaltest in order to participate in this
initiative?
A. No, we have. consistently said that use oJthe tests is voluntary and would not'be a
condition oJreceivingfederalJunds, We expect each district to demonstrate that they are
using challenging academic standards--either their own or those adopted by the state. OJ
course, they are Jree to use the national tests if they wish, and 15 ojthe largest urban
�"
school systems have already signed up to use the tests when they become available (in
2000). Keep in mind that the national reading and math standards are generally higher
than what is being used in most states and districts; it would be unrealistic to use them
for accountability purposes in the short run, though districts may want to phase this in
.
.
overtime.
SCHOOL~COLLEGE MENTORING INITIATIVE.
•
Building on successful "I Have a Dream" type programs, this effort would target high
poverty students beginning by sixth or seventh grade and (1) make sure they know money
is no longer a barrier to attending college, and (2) provide them with an adult mentor,
other supportservi~es, and a connection to a college, sustained from middle school
through high school graduation.
•
Goal is to create, in all children, the expectation that they will go to coll~ge .
•
A key role is envisioned for colleges to ensure a high-quality,sustained effort;
Administration officials have already sought advice from more than 200 college
presidents and many education associations.
•
Research demonstrates that these types of efforts are effective. For example, in the
rigorously-evaluated Quantum Opportunities Program, 42 percent of the participants
attended college, compared to 16 percent in the control group.
·.This would be connected to a wider information campaign to make all Americans aware·
ofthe,tlnahcial aid that is now available for college.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION. President Clinton intends to continue to
press the Congress to enact a School Construction Initiative, to help states and local communities
throughout the country deal with the problems of overcrowded and aged school fac~lities, and the
need for substantial renovations and repairs.
•
Previous proposal was $5 bi~lion' in interest subsidies, with half of it going to the 100
school districts with the largest number of poor children. Since then, a nurpber of other
. proposals have been devetoped)n Congress.' We are reviewing ~ll ofthe approaches .
.
.
�CHALLENGE GRANTS FOR URBAN ANDRURAL EDUCATION
OPPORTUNITY ZONES -- EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES THAT COULD
BE SUPPORTED UNDER THE PROPOSAL
Proposed FY 99 Budget Initiative
DRAFT -- November 29, 1997.
Student Assistance and Accountability:
•
In Chicago, many students participate in the district's Lighthouse after-school program,
which features intense reading/math instruction, social other enrichment activities, and a
meal. Students in the district who perform below minimum standards at key transition
grades (3, 6, 8 and 9) are required to participate in a seven-week "SummerBridge"
program and pass a test before moving on to the next grade. Over 45,000 s.tudents were
served in the SummerBridge program in 1997, and over 144,000 students participated in
some form of summer activity.
•
This summer Denver served approximately 2,400 students in grades 3, 5, and 8 who were
required to attend summer school to address subpar reading scores.
.
•
The Long Beach school district required 1,600 third graders who had not attained reading
proficiency by the end of the year to attend five-week tutorial sessions.
•
In Cincinnati, student promotion is now based on specific standards that define what
students must know and be able to do. The standards are designed to'prepare students to
pass the state's ninth-grade proficiency test.
.
,
'
•
As part of the superintendent's focus on reading, the Houston school district is hiring 150
reading coaches. The coaches, mainly college students tutor about 1,0QO children on a
one-to-one basis at $10 an hour. Designed by the University of Texas at Dallas, the
program will use an intensive approach. The university is training the tutors and the.
(listrict is funding the program from the general budget.
'
,
.
Staff Effectiveness and Accountability:
•
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Benchmark Goals program gives cash awards of $750 to
$1 ,000 to teachers in schools when their students meet a range of goals based on their
previous performance. The goals are structured so that schools have an incentive to raise
the achievement of their lowest performing students. It also focuses on· goals for African
American students, who historically have been under-achievers in the Charlotte school
system, ensuring that schools work to close the achievement gap with white students.
•
In Cincinnati, school district administrators'payraises are now linked to j o b ,
performance, with automatic cost-of-living adjustments and salary rates being replaced
with new criteria, including performance on several measures such as student test scores
�and graduation rates. The district is also preparing a system for providing financial
rewards to schools based on student achievement, to take effect in 1998-99. :
•
In.8t. Paul, the school district is collaborating with the teachers' union and the University
of Minnesota on Project 20/20 to support teachers through the National 'Board for
.
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification· process. The district pays the
application fees and the university and other partners develop and conduct professional
support programs for the candidates.
•
States like North Carolina and Kentucky, and school districts like Los Angeles, are
providing significant salary increases' to reward National Board 'Certified Master
Teachers.
•
' Peer review and as~istance programs help beginning teachers learn to teach and help
veterans who are having difficulty improve their teaching or leave the classroom without
union grievances or delays. In Cincinnati, for example, low-performing teachers can be
assigned to an intervention program where they gain assistance from colleagues and
administrators, and if unable to improve, are counseled out of the profession or removed.
In Cincinnati, as well as Toledo; while m'ost teachers improve their performance, roughly
one:-third of the teachers referred to intervention have left teaching by the' end of the year,
through resignation,'retirement.or dismissal.
In Rochester, expert, experienced teachers can be selected through a rigorous evaluation
process as "lead teachers" and given significant salary stipends to become involved with
peer counseling, o'r, to take on other reform-related priorities such as consulting with new
teachers, accepting positions in "intervention" schools, and developing curricula..
Columbus and Seattle also have aggressivepeerreview programs.
•
New York City's Community District 2 places an unusually strong emphasis on providing
ongoing opportunities for teachers to build skills arid learn from one another. For example,
the district enables visiting teachers to observe and practice with a highly accomplished
teacher for three weeks while their classrooms are taught by another experienced teacher.
District 2 registered the se~ond highest standardized test scores inmath and reading in the
city.
•
In 1996, Memphis opened its new Teaching and Learning Academy, which coordinates
professional development opportunities for all teachers in the district. The Academy
offers workshops in all major areas of schooi reform including leadership, core content,
performance asses~ment, and uses of technology.
School Improvement and Accountability: '
•
The San Francisco Unified School District places low-performing schools on a one-year
probationary period, during which they are expected to improve student performance. If
there is no improvement, the school is reconstituted. All staff ~ust reapply for jobs at
their school, and the Board hires a new principal, who in tum hires a new teaching staff
�•
and support staff. The new team must then put together ari improvement plan to raise
student achievement. Since the 1993-94 'school year, ten schools have been reconstituted.
•
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system distributes to parents easy-to-read student
learning goals at the beginning of the school year. The district then follows up with
school report cards on student attendance and performance that are distributed to parents
and every household in the district, and are published in the newspaper, in part to help
inform parents' decisions about the district's magnet s~hools.
•
In Chicago, Sfhools can be placed on probation due to low student achievement. These
schools will be targeted for aggressive intervention strategies by the district, such as
providing intensive help and training from expert teams of educators, or, where
necessary, replacing ineffectjYe prilldpals and teachers. In the event of persistent failure,
the district may shut down and reorganize the schools-:-Sevenhigh schools were
reconstituted between the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years.
Chicago also recognizes a number of exemplary schools, providing financial r~ of
$5,000·and $10,000 to the winners to become professional development centers for other'
schools. Seventeen schools were award~d exemplary status in the'first year.
•
As part of Kentucky's school accountability program Wider the Kentucky Education .
Reform Act, schools that do not reach acadelllic and non-academic (attendance, retention,
dropout, transition to the next level of schools or the job market) accountability targets
must develop their own school improvement plan. Ifa school fails to improve over the
next two years, the state assigns a distinguished educator to provide support and advice to
. the school. If the school's performance continues to decline, the state can assume control.
Although the state has yet to take over a school, 88 schools were recently identified as
being in decljne and nine have been placed in the "crisis" category. The state also
rewards schools that have· demonstrated substantial progress by distributing $27 million to
502 schools in 1997.
.
'
•
Late last summer, Cleveland reconstituted two elementary schools that had failed to meet
district-mandated school performance indicators and where there had been significant
internal strife among staff members. The district reassigned the schools' principals and
asked all teaching staff to reapply for their positions. As a result, about two-thirds of
teachers at the reconstituted schools are new to the buildings this year. And earlier this
year Denver, working closely with the teacher's union there, reconstituted two
elementary schools, replacing nearly the entire staff at each.
•
New York City also has a union-district negotiated process for "redesigning" schools
identified by the state as failing: Such schools can t:eplace approximately half the
incumbent teaching faculty ..
.
•
.
. In Memphis, since 1995, about half of all schools have adopted a f~break-the~mold"
reform model, including several of the models developed by the New American Schools'
�Development Corporation. "
Public School Choice:
•
In Boston, all parents choose their child's public school, and have a wide array of options
ranging from neighborhood schools, magnet schools, and pilot and public charter schools
which operate under performance contracts that provide them with greater autonomy and·
accountability for results.
"
.
.
' .
.
•
The Houston Independent School District recently instituted an open choice program.
"p"a:rents may send their children to any of the district's 258 schools provide"d the school is
enrolled at 9S percent of capacity or below. The district is currently analyzing available
space and plans to publish the information in the near" future; parents will apply to the
district transfer office to change schools. HISD will not transport students to schools
outside their attendance area. In addition to this choice program, the district "has launched"
an aggressive effort to support in-district charter schools.
•
Cambridge allows every family to choose a public school for their child. The school
district provides" information on every school and has created parent centers to help parents
learn about and'choose a public school for their child. More than 90% of parents get their
first choice of kindergarten for their child, and most get one oftheir top picks at all grade
levels.
•
The San Di~school district has helped parents, teachers, and principals create more than
a dozen ·public charter schools that stay open only as long as they do a good job. These are
all schools of choice, pubHclyaccountable and open to students from around the school
district. .
•
In August 1997, Denver opened its first charter school as the Pioneer Charter School
(PCS).PCS is a joint effort of the" school district and the University ofDenver (DU), "
enrolling 320 students from throughout Denver in grades Pre-K-S, with priority given to
students residing in specific economically depressed communities. The school is to serve
as an incubator for practices to support high achievement for urban students. The school
features a personalized instruction plan for each student; a year-round calendar (an
additional 20 days each year and 4S-day instructional periods with IS-day intersession
breaks); an extended day that begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 6 PM; and access to basic
health care, community and social and education servic~s for students and their families.
-
�
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Bruce Reed - Education Series
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Domestic Policy Council
Bruce Reed
Education Series
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<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36312" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/description/647429" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Description
An account of the resource
Bruce Reed's Education Series include material pertaining to national standards and testing; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the 1999 efforts to reauthorize the Act; 100,000 teachers and class size; charter schools and vouchers; education events and forums; social promotion; Goals 2000; HOPE Scholarships; Pell Grants; the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 (Ed-flex); education funding and budgets; and various school and teacher issues. The files contain correspondence, reports and articles, memos, polls, handwritten notes, hard copies of emails, schedules, printed material, and memos to the President.
Provenance
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
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133 folders in 9 boxes
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Opportunity Zones
Creator
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Domestic Policy Council
Bruce Reed
Education Series
Is Part Of
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Box 93
<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/Systematic/Reed-Education-finding-aid.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/description/647429" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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Adobe Acrobat Document
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Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
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3/7/2011
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647429-opportunity-zones
647429