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

   FOR RELEASE                     Contact:  Melinda Kitchell Malico    October 19, 1995                                   (202) 401-1008

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, passed by Congress last year with bipartisan support, helps states and communities advance their own school improvement efforts, based on the results of local decision making. Riley said Goals 2000 offers unprecedented flexibility and no regulations have been or will be issued under the school improvement initiative.

In spite of the fact that Goals 2000 is supporting school improvement in almost every state, funds for continued school improvement are in jeopardy. President Clinton sought $750 million for Goals 2000 in fiscal year 1996, but the House voted to eliminate all funds for the education improvement initiative as part of $4 billion in cuts to education. The Senate Appropriations Committee put back $310 million for Goals 2000 and the full Senate has not yet acted on the fiscal year 1996 appropriations bill.

"Whether you use these dollars to get computers into the classroom, whether you use Goals 2000 to give your teachers extra training, or whether you use it to get more parents involved -- that is your choice," Riley said. "You make the decisions here in Cleveland and in every school district in Tennessee. That's what makes Goals 2000 distinctive. It is a program that gives schools something they rarely have -- the opportunity to think ahead, to build community partnerships that stay the course, year in and year out, and to get the job done."

Ninety percent of the new funds will go directly from the state to local school districts. The second year of support -- $362 million for state and local grants in fiscal year 1995 -- will help states and communities implement school improvement plans to raise student academic achievement, involve parents in schools, bring technology into the classroom, upgrade teacher professional development, and create partnerships with business and community groups. States that submit a school improvement plan developed with input from parents, educators, community members and the private sector, as well as states that show substantial progress toward that end, are eligible for second- year funding. To date, 31 states are receiving a second year of funding.

For instance, Athens and Cleveland, and Bradley, Marion, Meigs, McMinn, Polk and Rhea counties are all working with the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga to establish a training center to improve the skills and knowledge of teachers, administrators and other school personnel, and to help integrate technology into teaching of academic subjects across grade levels. Goals 2000 support and a partnership with the University of Memphis will provide Memphis City schools district staff, teachers and university faculty with training and resources to use locally developed academic standards and with better methods to assess student performance.

"Goals 2000 makes a vital contribution to school improvement," Riley continued. "We must not abandon the children, teachers, schools and communities that have worked so hard to make schools better.

"Improving teaching and learning is critical to the nation's future. It is essential that we continue to assist states and communities as they develop and adopt challenging academic standards that will guide the education of students into the next century."

Tennessee's first-year Goals 2000 grant totaled $1,677,460. Forty-eight states and nine territories received almost $85 million in first-year Goals 2000 support.