[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1908-S1909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. EDWARDS:
  S. 469. A bill to provide assistance to States for the purpose of 
improving schools through the use of Assistance Teams; to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, today I am introducing the School Support 
and Improvement Act of 2001, a bill designed to help ensure that every 
child in America has access to a quality public school, with good 
teachers, adequate facilities and a safe environment to learn.
  Mr. President, every child deserves and every parent has the right to 
expect a top-notch, quality education. For example:
  Every child should enter 1st grade healthy and prepared to succeed;
  Every child should attend a school that is well-built, well-lit, 
well-equipped and well-connected to our modern world; and
  Every child should be instructed by a well-trained, well-paid and 
qualified teacher.
  But some public schools in America do not meet that standard today. 
Some of our public schools are failing our children and shortchanging 
their future. We need to refocus our energy on turning these schools 
around and getting them back on track. This must be the nation's number 
one priority.
  A quality public school is not a partisan goal; it's not a 
conservative or liberal goal; it's not a big city or rural goal; it's 
not a goal which separates rich from poor.
  It's a simple, common-sense goal we can all agree upon. And if we can 
agree, then we should be able to do something about it.
  The School Support and Improvement Act is one step in achieving this 
common sense goal. The legislation is based on a very important lesson 
we have learned in my home state of North Carolina.
  As many of you know, North Carolina has been at the forefront of the 
effort to reform public education for many years. In fact, President 
Bush's new Education Secretary, Rod Paige, called North Carolina's 
education system ``a model for the Nation.'' The School Support and 
Improvement Act is designed to translate one of the lessons we learned 
in North Carolina to the nationwide education reform effort.
  At the heart of the North Carolina school reform program is a very 
simple idea: immediately after we identify a school that is in trouble, 
we assign a special team of experienced, specially trained educators, 
principals and administrators to go to the school and help them devise 
a plan to turn that school around.
  The team begins with an intensive evaluation of teachers, 
administration and curriculum. Teachers and local school district 
officials work with the Assistance Team to develop a plan tailored to 
the school's needs and designed to improve student performance.
  Assistance Teams have been remarkably successful in North Carolina. 
Since the program started in 1997, Assistance Teams have been assigned 
to 33 schools across North Carolina. Of those 33 schools, 29 have 
improved significantly and are no longer considered low-performing. The 
overall percentage of low-performing schools has also decreased, from 
7.5 percent in the 1996-97 school year to 2.1 percent in the 1999-2000 
school year.
  In short, Assistance Teams are a proven method to get low-performing

[[Page S1909]]

schools back on the path of providing quality education.
  Our bill would accomplish two things: First, it would make the North 
Carolina model of sending Assistance Teams into low performing schools 
a priority throughout the country. Second, it would require that the 
utilization of Assistance Teams be a priority in every States' efforts 
to turn around low performing schools. In order to carry out this task, 
the bill provides additional resources to the States.
  Mr. President, with the right tools, and adequate resources, we can 
begin to put low-performing schools back on the right track. Our 
legislation utilizes a proven model and provides the necessary 
resources while still ensuring flexibility for the state and local 
educational agencies.
  I hope that this legislation will allow other states to benefit from 
the sucessful model we have implemented in North Carolina.
  When the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considers 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the coming days, I intend 
to offer this proposal as part of that effort. I ask all of my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation. Thank 
you.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 469

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``School Support and 
     Improvement Act of 2001.''

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds--
       (1) The percent of low-performing schools in this country 
     is cause for national concern.
       (2) Low-performing schools may not be in a position, or 
     their own, to make the kinds of changes necessary to turn 
     themselves around and improve student achievement.
       (3) The federal government, States, and school districts 
     must collaborate with schools to help them improve to meet 
     the needs of their students.
       (4) Schools must be held accountable for their performance 
     and improvement, but must also be given the tools and 
     resources they need to succeed.

     SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.

       Each State educational agency shall reserve 5 percent of 
     the amount the State educational agency receives under 
     subpart 2 of part A for fiscal years 2002 through 2008, to 
     carry out the State agency's responsibilities under sections 
     1116 and 1117 (20 USC 6318), including carrying out the State 
     educational agency's statewide assistance and support for 
     local educational agencies, provided that an adequate 
     percentage of that reservation is passed to local educational 
     agencies.

     SEC. 4. PRIORITY FOR SCHOOL ASSISTANCE TEAMS.

       Sec. 1117 (20 USC 6318) is amended--
       (1) in section (a) by adding at the end the following--
       (3) Priority.--In assigning and placing school assistance 
     teams and providing additional support and technical 
     assistance as described in subsection 1117 (c)(1)(B), a State 
     educational agency shall give priority in assigning the State 
     assistance teams under this paragraph to school in which the 
     educational performance of the students is farthest from 
     meeting the State standards as determined by the State--
       (A) first, to schools subject to corrective action under 
     section 1116(c)(5);
       (B) second, to schools identified for school improvement 
     under section 1116(c); and
       (C) third, to schools that have failed to make adequate 
     yearly progress under section 1111 for 1 year and where 
     placement of a State assistance team is appropriate and 
     requested by the local education agency or the school.
       (2) section 1117(c) is amended to read as follows--
       (c) School Assistance Teams.--In order to achieve the 
     purpose described in subsection (a), each State--
       (A) shall give priority in its use of program improvement 
     funds for the establishment of schools assistance teams for 
     assignment to and placement in schools in the State in 
     accordance with 1117(a)(3) and for providing such support as 
     the State educational agency determines to be necessary and 
     available to assure the effectiveness of such teams.
       (i) Composition.--Each school assistance teams shall be 
     composed of persons knowledgeable about successful schoolwide 
     projects, school reform, and improving educational 
     opportunities for low-achieving students including--
       (a) teachers;
       (b) pupil services personnel;
       (c) parents;
       (d) distinguished teachers or principals;
       (e) representatives of institutions of higher education;
       (f) regional educational laboratories or research centers;
       (g) outside consultant groups; or
       (h) other individuals as the state educational agency, in 
     consultation with the local educational agency, may deem 
     appropriate.
       (ii) Functions.--Each school assistance team assigned to a 
     school under this Act shall--
       (a) review and analyze all facets of the school's 
     operation, including the design and operation of the 
     instructional program, and assist the school in developing 
     recommendations for improving student performance in that 
     school;
       (b) collaborate with school staff and the local educational 
     agency serving the school in the design, implementation, and 
     monitoring of a plan that, if fully implemented, can 
     reasonably be expected to provide student performance and 
     help the school meet its goals for improvement, including 
     adequate yearly progress under section 111(b)(2)(B) of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6311(b)(2)(B));
       (c) evaluate, at least semiannually, the effectiveness of 
     school personnel assigned to the school, including 
     identifying outstanding teachers and principals, and make 
     findings and recommendations (including the need for 
     additional resources, professional development or 
     compensation) to the school, the local educational agency, 
     and where appropriate, the State educational agency; and
       (d) make additional recommendations as the school 
     implements the plan described in paragraph (b) to the local 
     educational agency and the State educational agency 
     concerning additional assistance and resources that are 
     needed by the school or the assistance teams.
       (iii) Continuation of assistance.--After 1 school year, the 
     school assistance team may recommend that the school support 
     team continue to provide assistance or that the local 
     educational agency or the state educational agency, as 
     appropriate, take alternative actions with regard to the 
     school.
       (B) may provide additional technical assistance and support 
     through such approaches as--
       (i) the designation and use of distinguished teachers and 
     principals, chosen from schools served under this part that 
     have been especially successful in improving academic 
     achievement;
       (ii) providing assistance to the local educational agency 
     or school in the implementation of research-based 
     comprehensive school reform models; and
       (iii) a review process designed to increase the capacity of 
     local educational agencies and schools to develop high-
     quality school improvement plan; and
       (iv) other approaches as the state educational agency may 
     deem appropriate.
                                 ______