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Navigating the New Federal Education Law:
Information is Power

When President Bush signed the federal education law, he increased the federal role in education more than ever before.

The majority of the reforms are being phased in over the next several school years, but there is one aspect of the law that will take hold immediately - school report cards.

Starting this fall, states and school districts receiving Title I funds from the federal government, about 95 percent of all public schools, must provide parents and the public with annual report cards.

The report cards will list several indicators of educational quality for states, school districts and individual schools.

State report cards must show the performance of the state as a whole, as well as individual districts. School districts must prepare report cards on the academic achievement of all schools in the district and the performance of each individual school within the district.

In the case of an individual school, the report card will include how its students performed on the state test compared to the school district and state as a whole. It also will show whether the school has been identified for improvement. Currently, only four states - California, Florida, Utah and Wisconsin - report student achievement information for the groups of students specified in the law.

In addition to student report cards, public schools must disseminate the school and district report cards among parents and the community. These campus report cards must be disseminated widely through public means, which might mean postings on the Internet, distribution to the media, or distribution through public agencies.

Public report cards will tell parents whether their school has met annual achievement targets, is in need of improvement, or is subject to corrective action. Depending upon these designations, parents will know whether their child is eligible for public school choice or after-school tutoring.

"Information is power," said KNEA President Christy Levings. "We have long said that parents should know how qualified their child's teacher is; nothing is more important to student learning."

Also under the law, parents of children in Title I schools must be notified annually of their right to request and receive information about the professional qualifications of their child's teachers. Currently, approximately 14 states make public the number of uncertified teachers in each district.

While the law opens the doors of communication among parents, schools, teachers and the community, there are concerns about the issues the new mandate raises. For example, no funding has been provided for states to implement the new report card system; states which already offer report cards might have to change their system to meet the new federal requirements. North Carolina, for instance, reports on the progress of students over time, which is a valuable measure for educators and school administrators, might not be allowed under the new law.

Levings cautioned that the report cards might be used to punish schools and districts, rather than as a tool to identify the schools and districts that need greater help.

"When a school isn't doing well, we need to go in and help it out," she said. "That's what should be done. It only makes common sense to provide assistance when there's a call for help."