ERIC ED535435: Recommendations for Choice Program Provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Issue Brief No. 3

2012·0.08 MB·English

by  ERIC

The National Coalition on School Diversity
Recommendations for Choice Program
Provisions in the Elementary and Issue3
Brief
Secondary Education Act
TheElementaryandSecondaryEducationActis I. Magnet School Assistance Program
thenation’skeyfederaleducationlaw.Funding (Secs. 5301-5311)
appropriatedunderESEAreachesalmostevery
Creatednearlyfortyyearsagotosupportschool
districtinthenation;thereforethepoliciesand
districts’implementationofcourt-ordered
programsenactedinthelawcansignificantlyaffect
desegregationplans,theMagnetSchoolAssistance
theprogressofournation’sschools.Congresshas
Program(MSAP)currentlyistheprimarysource
anopportunitytoreauthorizethelawthisyearand
offederalfundingforinnovativeschoolintegration
makesubstantialchangestothe2002version.The
measuresthathaveproveneffectiveinincreasing
NationalCoalitiononSchoolDiversitypreviously
studentachievement.TheMSAPprovidesgrants
publishedapolicybriefwithbroadprinciplesfor
forpublicschoolsthatreduceminoritygroup
thereauthorizationoftheESEA.1
isolation,promotediversity,improveacademic
achievementthroughhigh-qualitycurricula,and
Thispolicybriefaddressesseveralkeyprovisionsin
providehubsforuniqueandinnovativeinstruc-
theElementaryandSecondaryEducationActthat
tionalpracticesandprograms.
providepolicysupportandfundingtostatesand
localitiesseekingtodeconcentratepovertyand
Recentresearchconfirmsthatschoolintegration
reduceracialisolationinschools.These“choice”
providesyoungpeoplewiththeskillsnecessaryto
programswhichincludetheMagnetSchools
participatemeaningfullyinourincreasinglydiverse
AssistanceProgramandtheVoluntarySchool
civiclifeandtoflourishinourglobalizingwork-
ChoiceProgram,providelow-incomeandminor-
places.Integratedlearningenvironmentsalsobet-
itystudentswithopportunitiestogotohigher-
terpreparestudentstoattendandsucceedin
performingschoolsoutsideoftheirtraditional
college.Unfortunately,mostschoolchildrentoday
schoolassignmentboundaries.Alargebodyof
areunabletoobtainthesewell-documentedbene-
researchdemonstratesthatstudentsattending
fitsofdiversity.Indeed,ourpublicschoolstoday
low-povertyanddiverseschoolsexperiencemore
aremoreraciallyisolatedthanatanytimeinthe
positiveacademicoutcomesandgreateropportuni-
pastfourdecades.Thisincreasingresegregation
tiesinpost-secondaryeducationandcareer.2For
underminesthefabricofourdemocracy.
thisreason,theNationalCoalitiononSchool
Recognizingtheharmsofresegregationandthe
Diversityhasalsoencouragedthefederalgovern-
benefitsofdiversity,amajorityofSupremeCourt
ment topromotedeconcentrationofpovertyand
JusticesinParentsInvolvedinCommunitySchoolsv.
racialdiversityintheCharterSchoolsProgram,
SeattleSchoolDistrictNo.1(2007)concludedthat
anotherkey“choice”programwithintheESEA.3
promotingdiversityandavoidingracialisolation
AsCongressapproachesthereauthorizationof
arecompellingintereststhatcommunitiescanand
ESEA,itshouldadoptthefollowingrecommenda-
shouldpursuetohelprealizeBrownv.Boardof
tionstoensurethatthelaw’schoiceprogramscan
Education’spromiseofhigh-quality,inclusive
continuetosupporthigh-qualityandefficacious
schoolsforallchildren.
programsthatreinforcethelaw’sgoalsofequity
anddiversity.
MSAPgrantrecipientshavebeenwidelypraised
forbothpromotingracialintegration,preventing
Issue Brief No. 3 National Coalition on School Diversity
resegregation,andimprovingacademicachieve- (cid:1) Congressshouldincludestrongerequity
ment.Forinstance,in2008,theU.S.Department requirementsforMSAPgrantrecipients.
ofEducationprofiledanumberofsuccessfulmag- Magnetschoolsshouldoffereverychildinthe
netschools.SeeInnovationsinEducation: schoolequalaccesstotheresourcesandbene-
SuccessfulMagnetHighSchools(2008)4 fitsoftheschool.Therefore,MSAPapplicants/
recipientsshouldberequiredtodescribehow
(cid:1) WeurgethatCongressretaintheMSAP’s theywilldecreasein-schoolsegregationand
fundingpriorityforhigh-qualityprograms ensureminoritystudentshaveaccesstoeffec-
thatpromoteracialintegration.Thecurrent tiveteachersandthesamecurriculumasother
statutoryandregulatoryframeworkforthe students.
MSAP,whichstrikestherightbalancebetween
anemphasisonpromotingthegoalofracial
II. Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC)
diversitywhilepermittingschooldistrictsto
(Secs. 5241-5248)
usecreativeandinnovativemeanstopursue
thisgoal,includingthedesignofprogramsthat Thisprogramcurrentlysupportseffortstoestab-
increaseinteractionamongstudentsofdiffer- lishorexpandintradistrict,interdistrict,andopen
entsocio-economicbackgrounds,inaddition enrollmentpublicschoolchoiceprogramstopro-
topromotingdiversitybasedonraceandeth- videparents,particularlyparentswhosechildren
nicity.See,e.g.,Secs.5303,Sec.5305. attendlow-performingpublicschools,with
Moreover,theMSAPisoperatedinaccord expandededucationoptions.WeurgeCongressto
withtheSupremeCourt’sdecisioninParents enhancethisprograminwaysthatencourage
publicschoolchoiceprogramsthateffectively
Involved,whichendorsesanumberofmethods
enhanceracialandsocio-economicdiversity,while
thatschooldistrictscanusetoachieveracial
reducingtheharmsofracialisolation.Oneparticu-
diversity, priortorelyingonindividualized
larlypromisingexampleofapublicschoolchoice
studentracialclassifications.
programthatpromoteddiversityistheChapter
220inter-districtprogramintheMilwaukee,
(cid:1) Congressshouldpromoteconversionof
Wisconsinarea.5
lowperformingschoolstomagnetsasa
turnaroundstrategyundertheESEA
Applicantsshouldbeencouragedtodesignvol-
accountabilitysystem.Districtsoftentransfer
untarypublicschoolchoiceprogramsthatpro-
studentsataschoolclosedduetolowschool
motediversityandreduceracialisolation.
performancetoonlymarginallybetterper-
Congressshouldaddanadditionalfundingpriority
formingschoolswithinthedistrict.Schoolclo-
forgrantapplicantsthatpromoteinclusiveeduca-
surecouldbeanopportunitytoradically
tionalenvironments,decreaseconcentrationsof
changetheschoolenvironment.Convertinga
poverty,andreducetheharmsofracialisolation.
low-performingschooltoamagnetschool
TheESEAshouldalsoprohibitfundingunderthis
wouldallowcurrentstudentstohaveachoice grantprogramforapplicantsthatwouldincrease
toattendtheiroldschoolwhilealsocreatinga concentrationsofpovertyorexacerbatetheharms
newopportunityforamorediverseschool. ofracialisolationtothedetrimentofstudent
Conversiontoamagnetmayalsoattractnew achievement.
teacherslookingforanopportunitytoteachin
adifferentschoolenvironment. (cid:1) Permissibleusesofgrantfundsshouldbe
expanded.Transportationisonlyonesetof
2
National Coalition on School Diversity Issue Brief No. 3
costsfordistrictsconsideringadopting III. Charter Schools Program
inter-districtchoiceplans.Inordertotruly (Secs. 5201-5211)
incentivizestatesanddistrictstoadoptthese
Thefederalcharterschoolsprogramsprovide
plans,thefederalgovernmentmustprovide
grantstofundthecreation,evaluation,expansion,
bothsufficientfundsforVPSCandexpand
andstatesupportforcharterschools.Becausechar-
permissiveusesbeyondadministrativeand
terschoolscanbelocatedalmostanywhere,they
programmaticcosts.Permissiveusesforgrants
havegreatpotentialtoincreasediverseschool
shouldbeexpandedtorecognizethesignificant
optionstostudents.WeencourageCongressto
increaseincostsforstudentstransferringfrom takeadvantageofthisfactandsupportthedevelop-
anotherdistrict.Studentsarrivingfromlower- mentofmorediverse,inclusivechartersthatserve
performingdistrictsmayneedintensive intentionallysocioeconomicallyandraciallydiverse
academicservicesandsupporttosuccessfully studentbodies.Forfurtherinformation,see
transitiontotheirnewschools.Inaddition, NCSD’spolicybriefoncharterschools,at
districtsshouldbeallowed,andencouraged,to www.prrac.org/pdf/DiversityIssueBriefNo2.pdf
usefundstofacilitateparents’activeinvolve-
mentintheirstudents’schools.Receiving (cid:1) Thefundingprioritiesshouldberevisedto
districtsshouldbepermittedtousefundsfor encouragestatestodevelopdiverse,inclu-
teachertrainingandstaffdevelopmentto sivecharterschools.Buildinguponthemodel
ensurethesuccessoftransferringstudents, providedbytheMagnetSchoolAssistance
whiledistrictsfromwhichstudentsaretrans- Program,Congressshouldaddanadditional
ferringshouldcontinuetoreceivenecessary fundingpriorityforgrantapplicantsthatpro-
resourcesandsupporttoeffectivelyenhance moteinclusiveeducationalenvironments,
thoseschoolswithachievementandothergaps. decreaseconcentrationsofpoverty,andreduce
theharmsofracialisolation.TheESEAshould
(cid:1) AligngoalsoftheESEA“right-to-transfer” alsoprohibitfundingunderthisgrantprogram
provisionand theVPSCprogram.States forapplicantsthatwouldincreaseconcentra-
shouldberequiredtoensurethateverylow- tionsofpovertyorexacerbatetheharmsof
incomechildassignedtoaschoolthatconsis- racialisolationtothedetrimentofstudent
tentlyunderperformsontheESEA’s achievement.
accountabilitystandardshastheguaranteed
righttoenrollinahigh-performingschool. (cid:1) Thelawshouldoffercompetitiveprefer-
Often,thereisalackofhigher-performing encetochartersthatpurposefullyseekto
schoolsavailableintheLEA,providingstu- servemultipledistricts.Manystatecharter
dentswithnorealtransferright.TheVPSC schoollawsallowcharterstolocateinany
shouldprioritizeinter-districtarrangements location,regardlessofdistrictboundaries.
createdtoexpandtheoptionsforstudentsin Chartersoftenlocateinareasofextreme
extremelylow-performingdistricts.The povertyconcentrationinordertoservethe
Departmentshouldalsoaggressivelyencourage mostdisadvantagedstudents.Inmanymetro-
statesanddistrictstousetheVPSCgrant politanareas,however,creativesitingofcharter
programaspartoftheirschoolimprovement schoolscouldallowtheschooltoserveboth
plans. areasofconcentratedpovertyandstudentsin
moreaffluentanddiverseareas.TheCharter
SchoolsProgramshouldrecognizethisanduse
3
Issue Brief No. 3 National Coalition on School Diversity
acompetitivepreferencetoencouragenew consistentparentandcommunityengage-
charterschoolstolocateinareaswherethey mentprograms/initiatives.
canserveadiversestudentbody.
(cid:1) Thisgrantprogramshouldprovideincen-
(cid:1) Thefundingprioritiesshouldberevisedto tivestoencouragecharterschoolstoretain
emphasizestrongerstateaccountabilityfor theirstudentsthroughallgradesofferedby
charterauthorization.Thecurrentlawpriori- thecharterschool.
tizesstatesthatholdchartersaccountableby
reviewingprogressatleastevery5yearsand
Endnotes
allowsagenciesseparatefromLEAstoauthor-
izecharters.SeeSec.5202(e).Thispriority 1 NationalCoalitiononSchoolDiversity,“Key
PrinciplesforESEAReauthorization,”(Washington,
shouldberevisedtorewardstatesthat
DC:NationalCoalitiononSchoolDiversity,2011)
empowertheircharterauthorizerstoreview (http://prrac.org/pdf/DiversityIssueBriefNo1.pdf)
progressatleasteverytwoyearsandreviewa
2 SusanEaton,“HowtheRacialandSocioeconomic
widersetofperformancemeasuresincluding CompositionofSchoolsandClassroomsContributes
theclosureofgapsinachievementboth toLiteracy,BehavioralClimate,Instructional
OrganizationandHighSchoolGraduationRates,”
betweenandwithinsubgroups,enrollment
(Washington,DC:NationalCoalitiononSchool
rates,attritionrates,disciplinedata,ELL/LEP Diversity,2010).
andspecialeducationservicesandaccessto (http://prrac.org/pdf/DiversityResearchBriefNo2.pdf)
highlyeffectiveteachers. 3 NationalCoalitiononSchoolDiversity,“Federally
FundedCharterSchoolsShouldFosterDiversity,”
(Washington,DC:NationalCoalitiononSchool
(cid:1) Charterschoolsshouldserveallstudents,
Diversity,2010)
includingEnglishLanguageLearnersand (http://prrac.org/pdf/DiversityIssueBriefNo2.pdf)
studentswithdisabilities.Charterschools
4 Availableatwww2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/
fundedunderthisprogramshouldberequired magnet-hs/index.html.
toconductappropriateoutreachinorderto
5 Seehttp://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/assets/
attractadiversestudentpopulation,andto documents/publications/Wells_BoundaryCrossing.pdf
haveplansinplacetoserveallstudents.
Charterschoolsmustalsoworktoretainall
studentsintheirschoolsandprovidethe
supportstheyneedtobesuccessful,andcharter
schoolauthorizersshouldholdschoolaccount-
ablefordoingso. TheNationalCoalitiononSchoolDiversityisa
networkofnationalcivilrightsorganizations,
(cid:1) Charterschoolsfundedunderthisprogram university-basedresearchinstitutes,localeducational
shouldbeexpresslyrequiredtoadhereto advocacygroups,andacademicresearchersseekinga
greatercommitmenttoracialandeconomicdiversity
allfederalcivilrightslawsprotectingboth
infederalK-12educationpolicyandfunding.
studentsandschoolemployees.
FormoreinformationontheNationalCoalitionon
SchoolDiversity,gotowww.school-diversity.org
(cid:1) Charterschoolsfundedunderthisprogram
shouldberequiredtohavemeaningfuland
4