[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 72 (Thursday, May 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5596-S5599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. Kerry):
  S. 1302. A bill to amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 to encourage and support parent, family, and 
community involvement in schools, to provide needed integrated services 
and comprehensive supports to children, and to ensure that schools are 
centers of communities, for the ultimate goal of assisting students to 
stay in school, become successful learners, and improve academic 
achievement; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the 
Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged or Keeping PACE Act, to foster 
greater involvement of parents in their children's education, engage 
community partners in supporting the comprehensive learning needs of 
students in school, as well as to address our Nation's high dropout 
rate.
  It is clear that engaged parents can make a positive difference in 
students' achievement. Parents are their children's first teachers, and 
they have immense influence over their children's attitudes, focus, 
priorities and goals. Well-informed parents are more likely to be 
involved, to ask questions, to suggest constructive changes and to make 
a difference in their child's education. They deserve to know what 
their children are learning and being tested on, what their children's 
grades and assessment scores mean, and how assessment data may be used 
for improvement. Informed and engaged parents can help turn around 
struggling schools.
  We crafted the No Child Left Behind Act to recognize parents as full 
partners in their children's education. The Act includes essential 
requirements to develop parent involvement policies and programs, 
develop and release school report cards, and to establish a team of 
parents and community representatives to construct a plan to improve 
schools if they are identified as struggling. We should build on these 
important reforms. But in the upcoming reauthorization of the law, we 
must also explore new and innovative strategies to engage parents and 
communities in helping kids succeed in school.
  Better coordination among parents, schools, and the community can 
also help create a network that enables and empowers students to take 
advantage of every opportunity to learn. That's particularly important 
for students needing the greatest help and attention in their learning 
and those who need more challenging schoolwork to keep them engaged and 
progressing, as well as students at risk of dropping out of school. 
Today, more than one million students who enter the ninth grade fail to 
receive a high school diploma 4 years later and approximately 7,000 
students drop out of school every day. We've made great advances in 
recent years to improve the education of every student, but it remains 
clear that more must be done to respond to this challenge.
  We must support and strengthen our elementary and secondary schools 
and do more to attend to the learning and nonacademic needs of our most 
at-risk students, which make such a difference in how well they master 
their subjects. That means support for community programs to meet 
children's social, intellectual, emotional, and physical needs. It 
means making parent involvement a top priority, and offering support to 
schools to involve parents and families more effectively in their 
children's education, including postsecondary education planning.
  The Keeping PACE Act will address these fundamental issues. This bill 
amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to encourage 
and support parent, family, and community involvement in schools, to 
provide needed supports and services to children, and to ensure that 
schools are centers of communities.
  Educators recognize, on the basis of abundant research and common 
experience, that parental involvement is a critical element in 
children's academic and social development. Unfortunately, as noted in 
a recent report by Appleseed, too often, schools and districts continue 
to face challenges that impede efforts to effectively advance parental 
involvement. My bill enables States to award grants to local education 
agencies to assist schools in hiring and maintaining Parent and 
Community Outreach Coordinators. These coordinators will build critical 
partnerships among families, schools, and the community. They'll work 
with school principals, teachers, and staff to encourage parents to 
become more involved in their child's education and give them the tools 
necessary to become successful advocates for their children.
  Last year, a Massachusetts pilot initiative placed 17 full-time 
Family and Community Outreach Coordinators in Boston Public Schools. 
The Coordinators were responsible for supporting families, teachers, 
and the community in a common effort to help students excel 
academically and socially.
  Their efforts have worked. The Family and Community Outreach 
Coordinator at the Condon School in Boston, Massachusetts, has offered 
workshops for parents on middle school transition and math curriculum; 
coordinated parent participation on the School Climate Committee, an 
anti-bullying initiative at the school; helped teachers and parents 
make connections for parent-teacher conferences; and brought in over 
200 parents to participate in the fall open house, where some teachers 
reported having contact with over 80 percent of their students' 
families. The Coordinator has also leveraged donations to the school 
through the generosity of local businesses.
  The success of the coordinators led the Boston School Committee to 
approve its budget for the next school year with the addition of 14 
more full-time Family and Community Outreach Coordinators. All together 
this means that almost 22 percent of Boston Public Schools will have a 
coordinator by September 2007-2008.
  The director of the Harvard Family Research Project notes that many 
years of research confirm that ``now is the time . . . for action. The 
question we must ask is, in addition to quality schools, what non-
school learning resources should we invest in and scale up to improve 
educational outcomes, narrow achievement gaps, and equip our children 
with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the complex and 
global 21st century.''

  The bill answers that question and responds directly to these needs 
by creating new grants for community-based organizations to work in 
partnership with schools to bring essential comprehensive and 
integrated services to children in need. These support services may 
include health care, counseling, social services, enrichment, 
mentorship, and tutoring, services that can often spell the difference 
between a dropout and a graduate.
  Rather than giving teachers, counselors, and principals more to do as 
they address the non-classroom needs

[[Page S5597]]

of students, every school should have a resource they can turn to for 
help with identifying student needs and leveraging community services 
to help all students succeed. We know that comprehensive, integrated 
supportive services increase graduation rates and improve student 
achievement. In one national report: 82 percent of tracked students 
improved their attendance in school; 86 percent of tracked students had 
fewer behavior incidents; 89 percent of tracked students had fewer 
suspensions. In addition, 98 percent of tracked students stayed in 
school and 85 percent of eligible seniors graduated. Students who are 
identified as needing these services, but do not receive them are more 
likely to drop out of school.
  The Lucy Stone School in Boston, Massachusetts, demonstrates the 
effectiveness of student supports on learning. The once failing school 
took action and focused on improving core learning skills, a broad 
array of enrichment activities and health and social supports. Lucy 
Stone is making strong progress. Students in Grades 3 and 4 are passing 
the literacy MCAS at rates well above the Boston Public School average 
percentages, and are approaching State averages. Grade 4 math MCAS 
passing rates are approaching Boston and State averages as well.
  In other communities, diverse community partners have played an 
important role in providing accelerated learning and mentoring 
opportunities that have made all the difference for students.
  For example, a comprehensive evaluation of nine schools in New 
England found that classroom participation in community service outdoor 
learning projects increased student engagement and retention of science 
knowledge. And the ``Being Enthusiastic about Math and Science'' 
(BEAMS) enrichment program at the Jefferson National Lab in Virginia, 
which serves 1,800 inner-city students and their teachers, has resulted 
in increased achievement and attendance rates, and a better 
understanding of academic subjects, careers and applications among 
participating students.
  The National Commission on Service Learning found that mentorships 
and internships with caring adults in a workplace resulted in higher 
grade point averages and better attendance than for students who spend 
less time with adult mentors.
  There is one particular organization that has a demonstrated track 
record in helping leverage the integrated services and supports that 
students need to succeed in school. Communities in Schools (CIS) is the 
Nation's largest dropout prevention organization, and has a nearly 30-
year track record of helping connect students, families and schools 
with supportive services to help them graduate and prepare for life. 
With affiliates operating in 27 States and the District of Columbia, 
Communities in Schools helps about 2 million students every year.
  Community involvement means real help for children in need, and the 
evidence shows. For instance:
  In Georgia, CIS currently supports graduation coaches directly 
serving approximately 37,000 high school students who are at risk of 
dropping out.
  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, CIS stepped in to provide morning 
classes and afternoon activities for students whose parents had lost 
their social support systems after they were forced to relocate to 
Houston, Texas.
  There are also countless individual stories of community-based 
integrated services making a difference. In Texas, CIS helped 14-year-
old Yeana Carbajal, who was born with cerebral palsy, to obtain proper 
medical attention and social services, enabling her to return to school 
after hip surgery when her doctors had told her that would be 
impossible. Yeana is now back in school and thriving academically and 
socially.
  Another student, who at 14 became the primary caregiver of a mother 
who eventually died with AIDS, overcame homelessness and became the 
first in her family to graduate high school. A turning point for her 
came when she participated in a career exploration program coordinated 
through the community-based program office at her school. She 
discovered her special talents in the culinary arts, and is now an 
honor student at Johnson and Wales University.
  Finally, a growing body of educational research suggests that student 
achievement improves in environments where learning is a community 
value, and where schools have the ability to address a broad range of 
educational needs. Many school districts have gone even further to 
respond to this research, by establishing full-service community 
schools that directly involve parents, families, and the entire 
community in education.
  The Keeping PACE Act also responds to this research by providing new 
avenues to establish and support full-service community schools. These 
efforts have wide-ranging positive impacts, including ``better family 
functioning and parental involvement, healthy youth development and 
improved social behavior, improved academic achievement and learning 
outcomes, and enhanced community life.'' Two prominent researchers in 
the field further note, ``In community schools . . . schools are 
transformed into much more than just a portfolio of programs and 
services. They become a powerful agent for change in the lives of young 
people and their families and improve the climate of the entire 
school.''
  This bill enables States to provide incentives to local education 
agencies that coordinate with mayors, community-based organizations, 
for-profit organizations and other community partners to re-design and 
modernize their current school plans and facilities to better link 
students with community resources. School districts across the country 
are beginning to recognize the benefits of planning a school not only 
as an academic center for students, but also as a neighborhood center 
that serves the entire community. Designing schools from the onset to 
leverage integrated services to students helps meet multiple local 
needs such as educational, health, social service, and recreational 
needs.
  It's time for America to make a real commitment, and give real 
opportunity and real fairness to address the comprehensive learning 
needs of children and families, guarantee a place for parents and 
families in schools, and provide real hope to our students most at-risk 
of dropping out. Engaging parents and communities in the success of 
students enrolled in our public schools is critical to the future and 
prosperity of our entire Nation.
  This bill is supported by 15 organizations representing education 
communities. I ask unanimous consent that their letters of support be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                       Communities in Schools,

                                   Alexandria, VA, April 16, 2007.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: On behalf of Communities In Schools--
     our national offices and our network of local affiliates in 
     27 states and District of Columbia--I would like to 
     congratulate you on the introduction of the Keeping Parents 
     and Communities Engaged (Keeping PACE) Act. For 30 years 
     Communities In Schools has been working to connect existing 
     community resources with schools to improve student 
     achievement. This legislation provides much needed structure, 
     funding, and support at the federal level for critical 
     community engagement activities in our nation's public 
     schools. The Keeping PACE Act's provisions are research-
     based, effective, and fiscally responsible. Communities In 
     Schools strongly supports this legislation.
       While much of the rhetoric in education is about the 
     problems in the system, the Keeping PACE Act offers a real 
     solution to help to lower the high school dropout rate and 
     raise the achievement level of students in need. Too often, 
     students at risk of dropping out or not achieving 
     academically have the talent, intelligence, and potential to 
     achieve, but they need assistance to address challenges that 
     may block their way. The Keeping PACE Act's three components 
     provide a strong foundation to help students--particularly 
     those at risk of dropping out of school--with their 
     challenges by supporting: grants to states to support parent 
     and community outreach coordinators in schools; grants to 
     community-based organizations to engage schools and provide 
     integrated services; and grants to help make schools the 
     centers of their communities.
       Communities In Schools is particularly pleased that the 
     Keeping PACE Act provides support for community-based 
     organizations that provide integrated student services. 
     Community-based, integrated student services are 
     interventions that improve student achievement by connecting 
     community resources--such as mentoring, service-learning, and 
     afterschool programs--with both the academic and social 
     service needs of students. Programs focus energy, resources, 
     and time on shared school and student goals. The core 
     strategy of community-based, integrated student services is 
     to leverage existing community resources and effectively

[[Page S5598]]

     link these resources with students in need in order to 
     address whatever barriers the students may face. This 
     leverages a greater return on federal, state, and local 
     investments that are already being made in education. Without 
     coordination, however, many students cannot benefit from 
     these programs. The Keeping PACE Act supports funding for 
     this critical coordination and effectively leverages current 
     federal, state, and local investments in education.
       Importantly, research and experience establish that the 
     model supported by the Keeping PACE Act works in all types of 
     schools across the country--urban, rural, and suburban. By 
     supporting community-based, integrated student services and 
     parental involvement, the Keeping PACE Act provides strong 
     support for a very effective strategy to address our nation's 
     dropout rate and the achievement gap in communities across 
     the country.
       Thank you again for your leadership the Keeping PACE Act. 
     This very important bill will go along way toward supporting 
     the services that young people need and will make a huge 
     difference in lowering the dropout rate and closing the 
     achievement gap.
           Sincerely,
                                              Daniel J. Cardinali,
     President.
                                  ____

                                               Center for American


                                         Progress Action Fund,

                                   Washington, DC, April 16, 2007.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 
         Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: This letter is written to express the 
     support of the Center for American Progress Action Fund for 
     your PACE Act of 2007. The PACE Act takes great strides 
     towards facilitating community support for low-income 
     schools, a crucial step towards closing the achievement gap 
     and providing all American children with equal educational 
     opportunity.
       Schools, families, communities, and children themselves all 
     play important roles in promoting student learning. Children 
     are more likely to do their best when all these players work 
     together to ensure that challenges students face outside the 
     classroom are addressed, rather than remaining as ongoing 
     barriers to student learning and achievement.
       Community schools reshape the structure of traditional 
     schools and recast their roles in the community by explicitly 
     positioning schools, families and communities as vital 
     partners in fostering the health, well-being and academic 
     growth of children. These schools help address the out-of-
     school needs of students and their families so that young 
     people can focus on learning when they are in the classroom, 
     and also take advantage of nurturing opportunities outside of 
     the classroom.
       Providing supplemental support services to students and 
     their families has been shown to lead to real improvements in 
     their well-being. Researchers have documented that students 
     in community schools demonstrate positive outcomes, including 
     higher test scores, fewer disciplinary problems, improved 
     attendance and graduation rates, and diminished incidence of 
     self-destructive behaviors.
       We are pleased that the report by the Renewing Our Schools, 
     Securing Our Future National Task Force on Public Education, 
     issued by our sister organization, the Center for American 
     Progress, has influenced the drafting of this legislation, 
     and that the PACE Act reflects the community schools 
     recommendations in that report. It is our hope that Congress 
     and the nation as a whole will embrace the ideas in this 
     important piece of legislation.
           Best Regards,
                                                     John Podesta,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____



                                              Citizen Schools,

                                       Boston, MA, April 13, 2007.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Kennedy: I am writing in support of the 
     Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged (Keeping PACE) Act of 
     2007. The Keeping PACE Act proposes a promising set of 
     initiatives to strengthen two areas that are key to student 
     success: parental involvement and coordinated community 
     support.
       At Citizen Schools, we see the importance of parental 
     engagement and integrated student support systems every day. 
     Citizen Schools operates a national network of after-school 
     programs that advance student achievement and mobilize adult 
     volunteers to teach hands-on apprenticeship courses. Our 
     programs blend real-world learning projects with rigorous 
     academic and leadership development activities, preparing 
     students in the middle grades for success in high school, 
     college, the workforce, and civic life. Citizen Schools 
     currently serves 3,000 students and engages 2,400 volunteers 
     in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and 
     Texas. In Massachusetts, our programs operate in Boston, 
     Lowell, Malden, New Bedford, Worcester, and Springfield.
       Citizen Schools works intensively with low-income students, 
     most of whom are struggling academically. A rigorous 
     independent evaluation has reported that Citizen Schools' 
     students significantly outperformed a matched comparison 
     group on key metrics of school success and advancement, 
     including grades and standardized test scores. These 
     achievements would not be possible without the engagement and 
     support of students' families and communities.
       Our program also brings together students and adult 
     volunteers, and we have seen the rewards that both groups 
     derive from this opportunity to interact. As such, Citizen 
     Schools wholeheartedly supports efforts that reduce the 
     barriers between schools and communities.
       The Keeping PACE Act will produce positive outcomes for our 
     neediest students by facilitating parent involvement and 
     access to community resources. Thank you for your leadership 
     on this important issue.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Eric Schwarz,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____

                                              National Association


                                          for Gifted Children,

                                   Washington, DC, April 11, 2007.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and 
         Pensions, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Kennedy: The National Association for Gifted 
     Children (NAGC), the largest organization devoted to meeting 
     the needs of the nation's more than three million gifted and 
     talented students, is writing to express its support of the 
     Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged (Keeping PACE) Act.
       In high-poverty school districts, little attention is being 
     paid to finding and supporting the children who meet the 
     requirements of NCLB-mandated tests and are ready to move to 
     higher levels of achievement. Many low-income promising 
     students may be trapped in schools that do not acknowledge 
     the presence of gifted children, do not offer appropriate 
     level of intellectual stimulation, and do not provide the 
     services necessary to encourage talent development. This 
     failure to address the learning needs of high-ability 
     children is a tragedy for the children, their families, 
     communities, and the nation.
       The Keeping PACE Act will be a catalyst for developing the 
     partnerships necessary to support bright children from 
     disadvantaged backgrounds. The Act establishes an integrated 
     service strategy for students and their families in several 
     key areas--including mentoring, tutoring, and enrichment--
     which go a long to supporting the intellectual appetites of 
     students who are unchallenged in the classroom, who want to 
     explore in-depth learning on their own, or who need safe 
     haven from negative peer attitudes towards academic 
     achievement. We also applaud the Act's focus on assisting 
     students and parents in planning for post-secondary 
     educational opportunities. Many of these bright children will 
     be the first in their families to pursue post-secondary 
     options and they will need assistance to make appropriate 
     decisions and to understand the range of grant and other 
     funding opportunities available to high-achieving students.
       NAGC is invested in building alliances with other national 
     organizations that serve low-income learners and has made a 
     strong commitment to enhancing the competency of teachers who 
     work with underserved populations of students. We look 
     forward to working with you and your office in support of 
     this legislation and to strengthen NCLB in other ways for 
     gifted and talented students.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Nancy Green,
     Executive Director.
                                  ____

                                            National Collaboration


                                                    for Youth,

                                   Washington, DC, March 26, 2007.
     Hon. Edward M. Kennedy,
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Kennedy: The National Collaboration for Youth 
     is writing to express its support of the Keeping Parents and 
     Communities Engaged (Keeping PACE) Act.
       The National Collaboration for Youth membership comprises 
     national youth-serving organizations that have a presence in 
     almost every community in the United States. The signers of 
     this letter include community-based organizations, and 
     organizations that conduct research, evaluation, and provide 
     technical assistance to communities and schools across the 
     country. As advocates striving to improve the conditions of 
     young people in America, we believe that student achievement 
     is enhanced when parents, caregivers and communities are 
     engaged in education.
       Research and experience demonstrate that improving the 
     interaction between school and community, and providing 
     integrated services and supports for students and their 
     families in such areas as healthcare, employment, mentoring, 
     tutoring, enrichment and recreation, will help to serve the 
     intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being of 
     students. Access to these and other related non-academic 
     needs pave the way for the successful education of a young 
     person. By incorporating family and community engagement with 
     schools, the Keeping PACE Act will strengthen the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act, and will be an important tool in 
     reducing the school dropout rate and closing the achievement 
     gap.
       We look forward to continuing to work with you and your 
     office to strengthen the goals of this legislation, and move 
     it towards enactment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if 
     we can be of any assistance.

[[Page S5599]]

       Thank you for your leadership and public service.
           Sincerely,
       America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth, Marguerite 
     Kondracke, President and CEO.
       Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Judy Vredenburgh, 
     President and CEO.
       Camp Fire USA, Jill Pasewalk, National President and CEO.
       Communities In Schools, Inc., Daniel Cardinali, President.
       First Focus, Bruce Lesley, President.
       Forum for Youth Investment, Karen J. Pittman, Executive 
     Director.
       GLSEN--The Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, 
     Kevin Jennings, Executive Director.
       Leadership & Renewal Outfitters, Janet R. Wakefield, CEO.
       MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, Gail Manza, 
     Executive Director.
       National Collaboration for Youth, Irv Katz, President and 
     CEO.
       National Network For Youth, Victoria Wagner, President and 
     CEO.
       YMCA of the USA, Neil Nicoll, President and CEO.
                                  ____



                                                  First Focus,

                                   Alexandria, VA, March 23, 2007.
     Hon. Edward Kennedy,
     Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and 
         Pensions, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: It is a pleasure to formally endorse the 
     Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged Act. This important 
     legislation recognizes the critical role played by families 
     and communities in improving the academic success of our 
     students. We applaud this bill and look forward to working 
     with you toward its enactment.
       First Focus believes, and research demonstrates, that we 
     must meet the needs of students in and outside the classroom 
     in order to bolster their success in school. A study 
     commissioned by the America's Promise Alliance analyzed the 
     impact of having five key resources in children's lives: 
     caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective 
     education, and opportunities to help others. Students with 
     four or five of these resources were twice as likely as their 
     peers with zero or one resource to get As in school, 40 
     percent more likely to volunteer, and twice as likely to 
     avoid violence. The Keeping PACE Act is crucial because it 
     will help to connect young people to an array of services and 
     supports, thereby increasing their access to these and other 
     important resources.
       The debate surrounding the reauthorization of the No Child 
     Left Behind Act will appropriately center on issues 
     surrounding accountability, teacher quality, national 
     standards and other important topics. We thank you for 
     raising the importance of parent and community engagement as 
     well. Every child can succeed, but we must provide them with 
     the tools to do so. By building stronger connections between 
     parents, schools, and communities, the Keeping PACE Act will 
     help the nation be stronger supporters of our students.
       Chairman Kennedy, thank you for your leadership. We look 
     forward to working with you.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bruce Lesley,
                                                        President.
                                 ______