[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 101 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Brown):
  S. 2557. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to provide for State accountability in the provision of access 
to the core resources for learning, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Core 
Opportunity Resources for Equity and Excellence Act with my colleague 
Senator Brown. I would also like to thank Representatives Fudge, 
Hinojosa, and Frederica Wilson for introducing companion legislation in 
the House of Representatives. Our accountability systems in education 
should help us measure our progress towards equity and excellence. The 
CORE Act will help advance that goal by requiring States to include 
fair and equitable access to the core resources for learning in their 
accountability systems.
  Sixty years after the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of 
Education, one of the great challenges still facing this Nation is 
stemming the tide of rising inequality. We have seen the rich get 
richer while middle class and low-income families have lost ground. We 
see disparities in opportunity starting at birth and growing over a 
lifetime. With more than one in five school-aged children living in 
families in poverty, according to Department of Education statistics, 
we cannot afford nor should we tolerate a public education system that 
steers resources and opportunities away from the children who need them 
the most.
  We should look to hold our education system accountable for results 
and resources. We know that resources matter. A recent study by 
scholars at Northwestern University and UC Berkeley found that 
increasing per pupil spending by 20 percent for low-income students 
over the course of their K-12 schooling results in greater high school 
completion, higher levels of educational attainment, increased lifetime 
earnings, and reduced adult poverty.
  The recent Office of Civil Rights survey points to some gaps that we 
need to address, including that Black, Latino, American Indian, Native 
Alaskan students, and English learners attend schools with higher 
concentrations of inexperienced teachers; nationwide, one in five high 
schools lacks a school counselor; and between 10 and 25 percent of high 
schools across the nation do not offer more than one of the core 
courses in the typical sequence of high school math and science, such 
as Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, and chemistry.
  The CORE Act will require State accountability plans and State and 
district report cards to include measures on how well the State and 
districts provide the core resources for learning to their students. 
These resources include: high quality instructional teams, including 
licensed and profession-ready teachers, principals, school librarians, 
counselors, and education support staff;
  Rigorous academic standards and curricula that lead to college and 
career readiness by high school graduation and are accessible to all 
students, including students with disabilities and English learners; 
equitable and instructionally appropriate class sizes; up-to-date 
instructional materials, technology, and supplies; effective school 
library programs; school facilities and technology, including 
physically and environmentally sound buildings and well-equipped 
instructions space, including laboratories and libraries; specialized 
instructional support teams, such as counselors, social workers, 
nurses, and other qualified professionals; and effective family and 
community engagements programs.
  These are things that parents in well-resourced communities expect 
and demand. We should do no less for children in economically 
disadvantaged communities. We should do no less for minority students 
or English learners or students with disabilities.
  Under the CORE Act, states that fail to make progress on resource 
equity would not be eligible to apply for competitive grants authorized 
under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. For school districts 
identified for improvement, the state would have to identify gaps in 
access to the core resources for learning and develop an action plan in 
partnership with the local school district to address those gaps.
  The CORE Act is supported by a diverse group of organizations, 
including the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, 
American Federation of Teachers, American Library Association, First 
Focus Campaign for Children, League of United Latin American Citizens, 
National Education Association, Opportunity Action, and the Coalition 
for Community Schools. Working with this strong group of advocates and 
my colleagues in the Senate and in the House, it is my hope that we can 
build the support to include the CORE Act in the reauthorization of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. I urge my colleagues to join us 
by cosponsoring this legislation.
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