Campaign for High School Equity Calls for ESEA That Ensures Success for All Students

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a civil rights coalition focused on high school reform, today told the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee the specific actions Congress must take to ensure that all American high school students graduate prepared for college, work, and life.

In a subcommittee hearing, CHSE Executive Director Michael Wotorson highlighted how a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) could improve outcomes for students of color and Native students by ensuring access to equitable learning conditions. Latinos and African Americans currently comprise the majority of students in extreme-poverty and low-performing schools.

"More than 18 million students of color are enrolled in the nation's public high schools," said Wotorson. "We must remove the educational conditions that hinder their chances for success." While the average graduation rate for all populations is higher than 70 percent, African American, Latino, and Native American students have at best a 55 percent chance of graduating on time with a regular diploma, and inconsistent data reporting makes graduation rates for Asian American students unclear.

Wotorson outlined CHSE's specific priorities, including:

• providing students with excellent leaders and teachers;
• providing equitable learning conditions for all;
• supporting the state-led common core standards effort; and
• expanding learning opportunities beyond the school day.

"The 2002 reauthorization of ESEA, known as the No Child Left Behind Act, enhanced the potential to hold states, school districts, and schools accountable for student success," said Wotorson. "Now we must ensure that it is strengthened to address the unique needs of high school students of color, Native students, and English language learner students."

Read CHSE's written testimony and learn more about its policy priorities at www.highschoolequity.org.  

CHSE is a coalition of leading civil rights organizations representing communities of color that is focused on high school education reform. Members include the National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, League of United Latin American Citizens, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Indian Education Association, and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.

CHSE is a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

SOURCE Campaign for High School Equity