A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
February 26, 2000

Contact:
Melinda Malico or Erica Lepping
(202) 401-1008 or (202) 401-3026
PROGRAM OFFICE: (202) 260-0826

CLINTON RELEASES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GUIDANCE ON TURNING AROUND LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS

President Clinton today issued steps states must take in implementing accountability using the $134 million in new funds now available this summer to turn around schools that have had consistently low performance. In his weekly radio address, the president committed his strong support for nearly doubling such resources next year to fuel local accountability efforts, to a total of $250 million.

"Last month in my State of the Union Address, I called on Congress to help us launch a 21st century revolution in education guided by our faith that every child can learn," said President Clinton. "Today, I'm announcing new steps to do just that - by providing tools for states and local communities to turn around their worst-performing schools or shut them down."

As part of the budget agreement signed by the president last fall, substantial new resources-$134 million nationally through the Title I Program-are available to help school districts turn around low-performing schools. The law also requires school districts receiving these funds to provide students in low-performing schools with an opportunity to choose a higher-quality public school.

"Turning around failing schools and public school choice together," said Education Secretary Richard W. Riley, "form an important strategy that can make a real difference in helping students catch up and keep up."

Low-performing schools are defined as those schools that for two consecutive years have not made annual progress toward meeting state goals for student performance and have received federal Title I funding because they have a high percentage of disadvantaged children.

To turn around the low-performing schools, school districts and schools must spend the funds on school improvement activities, such as developing and implementing school improvement plans, conducting professional development, strengthening curriculum, or enhancing parental involvement. Participating school districts also will provide students in low-performing schools with a choice to attend another school within the district, as the budget agreement requires. For example, funds could be used to cover the costs of planning a choice program and conducting outreach to parents.

Under Title I, states or school districts whose schools fail to meet state expectations may: close them down, reconstitute them, withhold their funds, or convert them into a charter school.

The administration further seeks to permanently establish a national commitment to greater accountability and improved performance through this year's proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: A list of estimated FY 2000 and FY 2001 allocations follows.
The guidance is available in MS Word [181K] and Portable Document Format [147K].

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