As usual, the Anchorage Daily News gets it wrong again. In their Opinion on the NCLB the Daily News states:
As those sanctions kick in, the act tilts the playing field away from public education toward private or religious "choices." When the law opens options for "supplemental services" from nonpublic sources, the programs don't have to serve disabled or limited-English students or follow all federal civil rights laws.
Aside from this opinion having little factual backing other than opinions from other organizations that have a self interest like the NEA who enlist parents in lawsuits, here is the real nitty-gritty of the NCLB.
Let's go straight to parent's civil rights.
http://www.cccr.org/news/press.cfm?id=12
Study Finds That No Child Left Behind School Transfer Provision Improving Education for Low-Income and Minority Students
That is right, guess what the NCLB act is doing. It is improving education for Low-Income and Minority Students and it is being done through the school choice provision of the ACT. The same provision that the editors of the Daily News criticize.
But it gets even better. Underneath all of their criticism, there is a hit at President Bush and Senator Murkowski.
But what the editors fail to tell its readers is this:
BILL
To provide options to States to innovate and improve the education of children with disabilities by expanding the choices for students and parents under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `IDEA Parental Choice Act of 2003'.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT.
(a) RESEARCH AND INNOVATION TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES- Section 672(b)(2) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1472(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(I) Supporting the post-award planning and design, and the initial implementation (which may include costs for informing the community, acquiring necessary equipment and supplies, and other initial operational costs), during a period of not more than 3 years, of State programs that allow the parent of a child with a disability to make a genuine independent choice of the appropriate public or private school for their child, if the program--
`(i) requires that the child--
`(I) have been determined to be a child with a disability in accordance with section 614;
`(II) have spent the prior school year in attendance at a public elementary or secondary school unless the child was served under section 619 or part C during such year; and
`(III) have in effect an individualized education program (as defined in section 614(d)(1)(A));
`(ii) permits the parent to receive from the eligible entity funds to be used to pay some or all of the costs of attendance at the selected school (which may include tuition, fees, and transportation costs);
`(iii) prohibits the selected school from discriminating against eligible students on the basis of race, color, or national origin; and
`(iv) requires the selected school to be academically accountable to the parent for meeting the educational needs of the student.'.
(b) CHILDREN ENROLLED IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS BY THEIR PARENTS- Section 612(a)(10)(A) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(10)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(iii) PARENT OPTION PROGRAM- If a State has established a program described in section 672(b)(2)(I) (whether statewide or in limited areas of the State) that allows a parent of a child with a disability to use public funds to pay some or all of the costs of attendance at a public or private school--
`(I) funds allocated to the State under section 611 may be used to supplement those public funds, if the Federal funds are distributed to parents who make a genuine independent choice as to the appropriate school for their child;
`(II) the authorization of a parent to exercise this option fulfills the State's obligation under paragraph (1) with respect to the child during the period in which the child is enrolled in the selected school; and
`(III) a private school accepting those funds shall be deemed, for both the programs and services delivered to the child, to be providing a free appropriate public education and to be in compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794).'.
(c) PERMISSIVE USE OF FUNDS- Section 613(a)(4) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1413(a)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(C) SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN SCHOOLS DESIGNATED FOR IMPROVEMENT- For the reasonable additional expenses (as determined by the local educational agency) of any necessary accommodations to allow children with disabilities who are being educated in a school identified for school improvement under section 1116(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)) to be provided supplemental educational services under section 1116(e) of such Act on an equitable basis, if such children with disabilities are eligible children (as defined in section 1116(e)(12)(A) of such Act).'.
This was a school choice bill that was authored by the Republicans. Well all one has to do is look at what federal laws were enforced. Section 504 and the civil rights laws that deal with the IDEA.
The Bill died at the hands of the Democrats. Everyone must ask, if Tony Knowles is for civil rights why is he part of a party that denies parents their civil right to have their children educated the way the want and use their tax dollars to see that their civil rights are enforced.
And why is it that when it is a parent's civil right that a parent can decide how their child is educated, Tony Knowles is against it?
When it came to the D.C. voucher programs, it is evident that the Daily News didn't do their homework.
http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/108th/education/parentalchoice/dcchoicebillsummary.htm
DC Parental Choice Incentive Act of 2003
Offering Hope to D.C. Parents and Students
August 12, 2003
The District of Columbia has one of the most troubled public school systems in the United States . School choice offers hope to parents and students by giving them to opportunity to select a school that meets their educational needs, while the competition school choice brings will improve the overall educational atmosphere for the parents, teachers and administrators who continue to work to improve the public school system. The D.C. Parental Choice Incentive Act, originally introduced by Government Reform Chair Thomas Davis (R-VA) and Education and the Workforce Chairman John Boehner (R-OH) in June 2003, has been passed by the Government Reform Committee and will be offered as an amendment to the District of Columbia Appropriations Bill. This amendment, to be offered by Chairman Davis, Subcommittee on the District of Columbia Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen and Chairman Boehner, offers parents up to $7,500 in scholarship funds for children to attend a private elementary or high school in Washington , D.C.
The details of the bill are as follows:
All funding for the scholarship programs comes from new funds, therefore no public, private or charter school will be drained of any funds.
As research has shown, the competition provided by school choice benefits both the private and public schools, by creating an atmosphere of high expectations and a climate of education achievement.
The maximum amount of each scholarship is $7,500. However, because the scholarships will be awarded based on need and the tuition and fees of the new school, not all students will receive the maximum amount.
A total of $10,000,000 is authorized for the program in the first year.
Grant money is distributed to various non-profit organizations and D.C. government agencies that must apply to the U.S. Department of Education and demonstrate to the Secretary how they will recruit students, find participating schools and ensure that funds are used properly.
Eligible students must be residents of the District of Columbia , and their family income cannot exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Participating students will be selected through a random selection process such as a lottery.
Priority is given to low-income students in low-performing schools, as identified by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Priority is also given to programs that target resources to students and families that lack the financial resources to take advantage of available educational options and provide the widest variety of educational options to children of various ages and grade levels.
Scholarship funds can be used to cover the costs of tuition, fees and transportation.
Participating schools may not discriminate based on race, color, national origin or gender. However, religious schools are allowed to maintain their character through their employment practices and schools that offer single-gender classes or programs may participate.
The Secretary is required to conduct an evaluation of the program's progress and submit an annual and a final report to Congress. Each grantee must submit an annual report to the Secretary regarding its activities and the academic achievement of the students in the program. The Secretary will then prepare for Congress a report based on the information gathered from the grantees. Each grantee must ensure that the participating schools report to the parents to discuss their children's academic achievements at least once a year.
When it comes to civil rights, Knowles and the Democrats get an F. And the Daily News editors flunk when it comes to endorsing candidates who support parent's civil rights. Unless of course they endorse Lisa Murkowski and President Bush.
http://www.cse.org/informed/key_template.php?issue_it=14
How Members Of Congress Practice School Choice
