Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - September 07, 2006)

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By Mrs. CLINTON:

S. 3869. A bill to improve the quality of, and access to, supplemental educational services in effort to increase student achievement; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to help ensure students attending low-performing schools have access to high quality tutoring programs. If enacted, The Improving Quality of and Access to Supplemental Educational Services, the IQ Act, would ensure that supplemental educational services, free tutoring offered through the No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB, are effective in and accountable for increasing student academic achievement.

One of the many ways that NCLB aims to close the achievement gap is through the provision that allows low-income children attending poorly performing school to enroll in supplemental educational services, SES. These programs hold the promise of helping schools to increase student achievement by offering additional academic support for students in underperforming schools. Unfortunately, the scope of the impact of SES remains to be seen due to low student participation rates and lack of evaluation of supplemental educational services.

Improving the quality of and access to these programs should be a shared responsibility between the Department of Education, State and local educational agencies, as well as the SES providers themselves. By working together we can create tutoring programs that truly supplement the instruction that students receive during regular school hours and allow for more time to master the educational standards set by the state.

Unfortunately, few States have assessed SES providers on the basis of improving student achievement. A recent study by the GAO found that not a single State has produced a report that provides a conclusive assessment of providers' effect on student achievement. Without these State evaluations, students, parents and policymakers are blind as to which programs are effective in raising academic achievement and are therefore unable to replicate their success.

I strongly believe that if NCLB holds our teachers and schools accountable for increasing student achievement, then we must also hold SES providers to similar accountability standards. That is why The IQ Act requires States to use their current standardized test to evaluate provider performance. This legislation also provides States with additional funding to improve their data systems to manage these evaluations with no additional cost to the taxpayer.

Maximizing the full potential of SES will not only require consistent evaluation of provider performance to ensure quality, but also increasing the number of students participating in these services. Unfortunately, only 19 percent of eligible students participated in SES in the 2004-2005, an abysmally low turnout for programs that offer free after school tutoring. Many districts find challenges in providing services for students in rural schools and students with limited English proficiency or disabilities.

Although there are many other factors that determine why parents and students are not participating in these services, The IQ Act will provide additional opportunities for more students to participate in these tutoring programs that fit the needs of all children. This legislation requires districts to supply a choice of providers for students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, and students in rural districts. If enacted, this bill would help States and school districts build capacity to effectively implement supplemental educational services.

The Improving the Quality of and Access to Supplemental Educational Services Act is a positive step forward in providing more opportunities for students to participate in quality after school tutoring programs. I am hopeful that my Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle will join me today to move this legislation to the floor without delay.

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