Key Pieces of Secondary School Legislation Pending Before Congress: This document provides brief summaries and sponsor information for key pieces of secondary school legislation pending before the 111th Congress.

Click on the links below for more information about a bill, including bill analysis, sponsor information, press coverage, and accompanying materials.

111^th Congress

Measuring and Evaluating Trends for Reliability, Integrity, and Continued Success (METRICS) Act  (111th) H.R. 5024 & S. 3204: The METRICS Act would authorize $65 million in competitive grants to states to improve the use of their statewide data systems. It also would authorize $65 million for a new competitive program to low-income districts with low-performing schools to help build the capacity to use data to improve student outcomes. 

Every Student Counts Act (111th) S. 618/H.R. 1569: The Every Student Counts Act (ESCA) would create a graduation rate calculation that is consistent across states, requires reporting of subgroup graduation rates, sets meaningful graduation rate goals and targets, and removes incentives for schools to push out low-performing and at-risk students.

Graduation Promise Act (111th) S. 1698/H.R. 4181: The Graduation Promise Act (GPA) would authorize $2.5 billion in new funding to turn around low-performing high schools. GPA would provide money to districts and states in order to implement effective, research-based reforms tailored to low-performing schools’ specific needs.

Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation Act (111th) S. 2740/H.R. 4037: The Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act would support comprehensive state and locally led literacy programs to ensure that children from birth to grade twelve have the reading and writing skills necessary for success in school and beyond.

Secondary School Innovation Fund Act (111th) S. 968/ H.R. 2239: The Secondary School Innovation Fund Act would create a $500 million Secondary School Innovation Fund to support partnerships to create innovative models and programs in secondary schools to increase student achievement and prepare students for success in post-secondary education and the workforce.

Success in the Middle Act (111th) S. 1362/ H.R. 3006: The Success in the Middle Act would authorize $1 billion a year in formula grants for states to improve low-performing schools that contain middle grades and feed into low-performing high schools. It would also authorize an additional $100 million to facilitate the generation, dissemination, and application of research needed to identify and implement effective practices that lead to continual student learning and high academic achievement at the middle level.