[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 26 (Friday, March 3, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1677-S1678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 EDUCATION FLEXIBILITY PARTNERSHIP ACT

  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I today speak on a bill I introduced, and 
which the Senate passed last night, to extend the Education Flexibility 
Partnership Act of 1999, Ed-Flex. My State of North Carolina is one of 
ten Ed-Flex states. As the citizens of North Carolina know well, gone 
are the days when an individual with just a high school diploma or GED 
could make a good living in industries such as textiles and furniture. 
For the future of North Carolina, it is imperative that we do all that 
we can to assist all students, regardless of background, reach high 
academic standards. Only through a strong public education system can 
we secure a bright economic future for individual citizens and for our 
communities.
  Ed-Flex is a program that allows the Secretary of Education to 
delegate to states with strong assessment and accountability systems 
the authority to waive certain Federal education requirements that may, 
in certain instances, impede local efforts to reform and improve 
education. By allowing additional flexibility in their implementation 
of Federal programs, Ed-Flex is designed to help local districts and 
their schools implement the educational reforms needed to raise student 
academic achievement.
  The Ed-Flex waivers in North Carolina are helping local school 
systems improve student achievement while meeting Federal No Child Left 
Behind requirements in a number of ways. Examples of how local schools 
and districts are using Ed-Flex to advance local reform strategies 
include: providing tutoring for low-achieving or at-risk students 
through coordinating Federal, state, and local services; developing 
more inclusive parent involvement initiatives; collaborating and 
planning with Head Start, developmental specialists, and faculty from 
local day care centers to facilitate a smoother transition and more 
appropriate placement of pre-K students; implementing a hands-on, 
inquiry-based science curriculum to promote critical thinking skills; 
providing for ongoing literacy group instruction that allows students 
to move into and out of the groups, as necessary, during the school 
year; and expanding afterschool science clubs and purchasing resources 
for afterschool programs.
  Ed-Flex was first enacted as a demonstration program in 1994 as part 
of Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Initially, the Secretary of 
Education was authorized to designate six states as Ed-Flex 
demonstration states. The 1996 amendments to the Goals 2000 legislation 
authorized the granting of Ed-Flex

[[Page S1678]]

waiver authority to six additional states. On April 29, 1999, the 
Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 was signed into law, 
providing all states that had rigorous assessment and accountability 
systems the opportunity to participate. Because of North Carolina's 
comprehensive assessment and statewide school accountability system, 
the ABCs, North Carolina became an Ed-Flex state on December 19, 2000.
  Ed-Flex has played a vital role in North Carolina's educational 
system by allowing local school districts to have the increased 
flexibility they need in the implementation of various Federal 
education programs. I am proud of North Carolina's exceptional school 
accountability program. As a result of our strong accountability 
safeguards, the Ed-Flex Program is helping our schools to meet the 
goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. Continuing the Ed-Flex Program 
will further enhance the efforts of North Carolina local districts and 
schools to ensure that all students achieve academic proficiency. I 
thank my colleagues for their support of this important legislation.

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