[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 2, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI:
  S. 1495. A bill to amend the school dropout prevention program in the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce Early 
Intervention for Graduation Success Authorization Act. This legislation 
would, if enacted, amend the current School Dropout Prevention 
provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It would 
focus attention on identifying and helping students who are at risk to 
not graduate from high school as early as pre-kindergarten and through 
elementary and middle school.
  Some may ask, ``Why are you concentrating on toddlers and elementary 
school children when you are trying to solve the high school dropout 
crisis facing our Nation? Why not focus attention and our Nation's 
scarce resources on high school students, or even middle school 
students?''
  The reason is simple. Early on is when children's troubles in school 
begin, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. High school 
and middle school students do not just wake up one day and say, ``I 
think I'll drop out of school today.'' Twenty-five years of research 
tells us that dropping out is a long process of frustration, 
alienation, and even boredom, it is not a sudden decision. We know that 
students with disabilities, minority and poor children, and students 
whose home lives are, in all sorts of ways, difficult have lower 
graduation rates than their peers. The challenges children face today 
are all too prevalent, and we know the factors that make it harder for 
them to succeed in school. We know this.
  It only makes sense that we re-work the program that is intended to 
help schools increase their graduation rates so that it actually helps 
schools help children when we can make the most difference. We need to 
act before these children have fought for years just to stay afloat, 
and before they are too tired, frustrated, alienated, and angry to 
fight anymore.
  Factors that have been shown to present a significant risk factor 
even in elementary school include: low achievement, grade retention, 
poor attendance, misbehavior and aggression, and low socioeconomic 
status. Family background characteristics play a role as well, such as 
family disruption, not living with parents, and parents' low 
educational attainment. Even low birth weight has been shown by 
numerous studies to be linked with poor educational outcomes.
  My ``Early Intervention for Graduation Success'' bill would focus 
Federal funds on states that have the lowest graduation rates. State 
education agencies would be required to develop or update their plans 
to increase graduation rates. They would also be required to work with 
health, social services, juvenile justice, and other relevant state 
agencies to help school districts and early childhood education 
providers better identify which of their students have research-based 
risk factors. In turn, schools and early learning providers would be 
required to develop and update individual learning plans for these 
students and ensure that the next school of enrollment has the child's 
plan.
  My bill also gives States and partnerships a menu of research-based 
activities from which to choose to improve services to students, 
including professional development, program quality improvement, 
curriculum alignment, community integration and support services, and 
setting high expectations for academic achievement.
  In short, my bill helps States and schools to give students the 
support they need to achieve their dreams, and inspires them to dream 
big, right from the very start.
  We can continue to spend millions of dollars every year on intensive 
services for teenagers who are far behind in school, who are frustrated 
beyond all measure, and who gave up on success long ago. We may even 
have some limited success helping some young people get back on track 
and graduate from high school. Or, we can start at the beginning, 
making sure that the children who already have challenges get the help 
they need to succeed.
  I look forward to passage of this bill or incorporating it into the 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
                                 ______