Federal Policy

The realities of global competitiveness, the rapidly-diminishing prospects of those students whose high schools fail to prepare them for college and work, and the resulting widening opportunity gap are combining to make middle and high school reform a national imperative. No longer is it merely the right thing to do; improving the country's secondary schools has significant economic, national security, and civil rights implications.

Federal government leadership is critical in advancing high school reform. Yet, the unfortunate truth is that current federal policy and funding do not effectively support improving achievement in the nation's high schools.

Bold leadership that is appropriate to the crisis and in line with the federal government's tradition of intervening to assure the security of the nation, reduce poverty and increase equity, and advance research to inform effective practice is needed now. The reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) offers Congress the opportunity to put the "Secondary" into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and take the critical first steps forward towards an appropriate federal role in the national effort to improve the nation's middle and high schools. However, additional clarity is needed to determine what, exactly, that role should entail. As the nation embraces the idea that all students should graduate from high school prepared for success in college and work, the flaws in the current federal approach become clear.

NCLB reauthorization must focus on setting the right goals and providing the right incentives (including effective accountability) to identify and turn around low-performing schools with systemic, research-based solutions. If that critical task is done correctly, taking into consideration the valuable lessons that have been learned in states, districts, and schools across the nation over the past several years, future state and local decisionmaking will be enhanced and better supported, and the goal of improving education so that every student succeeds can be reached more efficiently.

The Alliance for Excellent Education believes that federal high school policy must be grounded in the following principles:

• All students must be held to high expectations that will allow them to graduate ready for college and the modern workplace.
• The system must support and leverage an effective and individualized approach at the student and school levels.
• Educators and policymakers must be provided with the necessary data and research to make informed decisions to improve policy and practice.

To learn more, click on a link below.

Legislative Update: Provides information on federal high school legislation pending before Congress, including the Alliance's analysis of the legislation, press statements, and other supporting materials.

Federal Budget: Tracks Fiscal Year 2008's budget and appropriations process, including funding levels for programs that benefit middle and high schools. It will be updated as warranted.

About the Solutions: The Alliance for Excellent Education has a number of recommendations for how the federal government could address the crisis in the nation's high schools head-on.

A Framework and Recommendations for Federal Action on Secondary School Reform In response to the need to dramatically change the way secondary schools operate and teach their students, the Alliance for Excellent Education has developed a Framework for Federal Action to Improve Secondary Schools. This systemic reform agenda reflects the growing consensus of researchers, practitioners, and advocates who are translating valuable lessons from research and practice into recommendations for policy.

In Need of Improvement: NCLB and High Schools: When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was drafted and signed into law, little attention was paid to the unique challenges that exist in the nation’s high schools and what is best known about how to improve them. As a result, the law emerged with provisions that often neglect, or that are even at odds with, the needs of America’s millions of high school students, particularly the six million students who are most at risk of dropping out of school each year. The brief describes these design and implementation flaws and how they undermine the educational and equity promises of NCLB at the high school level. In Need of Improvement: NCLB and High Schools calls on Congress to take the opportunity during the reauthorization of the law to build on the ideals of “no child left behind” and pass legislation that will lead the nation toward “every child a graduate.”

Key Pieces of Secondary School Legislation Pending Before Congress