Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - September 07, 2006)
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By Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself and Mr. CORNYN):
S. 3864. A bill to amend part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve supplemental educational services, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, today I rise to discuss a topic that will always have incredible meaning to American families: educating our children. We all want what is best for our children, and we all want to make sure that we provide them with the tools that they need to succeed in tomorrow's workforce.
While there are many different components to our education system here in America, today I want to concentrate on a particular point of concern, an area where, with some improvement, can be a key tool ensuring that our children are meeting their educational goals.
Today, along with Senator JOHN CORNYN of Texas, I rise to introduce the Raising Achievement through Improving Supplemental Education Act of 2006--or the RAISE Act for short.
The RAISE Act seeks to improve the Supplemental Educational Services, SES, program and clears the way for this program to become well-known, widely available, and easily accessible to eligible students.
It seeks to broaden eligibility requirements and prioritization of the program, and to target all low-performing students regardless of income status.
Let me take a step back and talk about the Supplemental Education Service program, or SES program, for those who might not be familiar with it.
SES was implemented as part of No Child Left Behind and designed to be an innovative tool to help meet the academic needs of low-income students attending continuously failing schools.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires school districts to utilize 20 percent of their Federal funds for after-school tutoring programs at consistently failing schools.
Under this program, low-income parents can choose free private tutoring from the provider of their choice. School districts then use their 20 percent allocation to pay the providers for their tutoring services. Any part of these funds that are not used for tutoring can be transferred into other district programs.
By providing direct tutoring after school, the SES program can help students who are behind catch up with their peers. This in turn also improves the overall school performance.
While the intent of the SES program has been pure, there have been numerous shortfalls nationwide--these shortfalls have much to do with a lack of implementation which the RAISE Act would seek to correct.
For example, in the 2003-2004 school year, only 17 percent of the eligible 1.4 million students participated in SES programs. That means that hundreds of thousands of children are not being provided with tutoring help where funding has already been set aside for that purpose.
Some parents reported that they did not sign up because they lacked the transportation to get their students to the providers, the providers were not tutoring on-site at the schools. Also, there were some conflicts with other, better established after-school programs.
States have reported that many school districts with low turnout have failed to communicate with parents or implement the program in a way that ensures its success. The reports further indicate that some of the districts have openly undermined the program in letters to parents.
In my own State of Florida for instance, one county sent a letter home to parents this past April about the SES services that would be provided for the current school year that sent quite a mixed signal.
The letter stated that although parents might be able to secure SES program assistance for their children, the district believed that the funds could be better spent elsewhere and went as far to, quote unquote, ``strongly urge parents'' not to utilize their SES and school choice options under No Child Left Behind.
So, what we are seeing is that with all the good intentions behind the SES program, we are having some problems with implementation.
In Florida, we have already implemented SES improvements. As a result, Florida will see a higher SES program success rate, stronger guidelines, and better State oversight.
Many of the provisions of the RAISE Act are modeled after the successes already occurring in my home State.
In our school districts where SES programs are thriving, good communication with both parents and providers has been emphasized, as well as access to on-site tutoring at school facilities.
One prominent Florida-based example is the SES program in Marion County, located in central Florida. Schools there have utilized all their funds to maximize student enrollment, which also increases the program's chances of greater overall success.
Other good examples of SES program progress include Escambia County, Florida, where the city of Pensacola is located--to best utilize their SES dollars, they hosted a successful summer tutoring program.
School Districts in the Palm Beach and Miami-Dade areas have SES programs that bode well on a national level for the strong parental outreach efforts they have instituted, which enable all eligible students the ability to enroll in SES.
In Hillsborough County, FL--where Tampa is located--their success with SES enrollment brought the U.S. Department of Education to grant the district a special provision, whereby they can provide SES tutoring in addition to the private providers that most of the money is allocated for.
This will allow Hillsborough County to make SES available to more students, and I look forward to seeing what their efforts bring.
The RAISE Act will help make possible nationwide the kind of SES program success we have experienced in Florida. This success will come about because of stricter implementation standards and program overview.
Another important component of the RAISE Act is eligibility for SES. Currently, SES targets low-income, low-performing students.
I think we should be targeting all low-performing students, regardless of income status.
By overlooking many middle-class families who do not have the money to put their children into private tutoring or after-school programs, many of those children are falling through the cracks.
This bill is meant to ensure that all of our low-performing students have an opportunity to succeed academically.
We are going to help out those in need such as Ms. Carla Garcia of Gibsonton, FL--a part of Hillsborough County. She is a single mother struggling to provide her family with the basics.
She does not qualify for the low-income programs at her school, so her son is not currently eligible for SES services even though he is falling behind academically.
Ms. Garcia strongly believes that if her son was able to receive tutoring under SES, he would be better able to excel and perform at grade level.
Under the RAISE Act, Ms. Garcia would be able to receive SES services for her son--as would many other parents for their children--because my bill would make SES tutoring available to all students who are struggling to meet grade level proficiency.
The RAISE Act aims to make sure that every child in the school yard has an equal opportunity at scholastic growth and advancement.
So, to summarize: The RAISE Act will require better parental notification of eligibility and program availability; we streamline the application and registration process; and we level the playing field--making school facilities as available for tutoring as they are for other after-school activities.
The RAISE Act will broaden eligibility requirements and prioritization. Right now SES targets low-income, low-performing students; I think we ought to target all low-performing students, regardless of income status.
In Florida, we have already implemented SES improvements. As a result, Florida's SES program has stronger guidelines and better State oversight. Many of the provisions of the RAISE Act are modeled after the successes already occurring in the state of Florida.
The RAISE Act will provide the guidance and tools states and school districts need to increase participation and produce results. Stronger coordination, communication, and guidance will make SES programs more effective.
The RAISE Act will help raise the success of all students, in turn raising the academic achievement of our schools. The Act was developed in consultation with school administrators, state education officials, and non-profit and research groups. This is a nationwide imperative and I urge my colleagues to support this innovative set of reforms.
Let us continue to make improvements to the success that is No Child Left Behind, by providing the necessary funding, regulation, and implementation of Supplemental Educational Services across this great land.
Together, we can make the RAISE Act a reality and improve the academic lives of countless American schoolchildren.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3864
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