Civil Rights Organizations Call for Strong Oversight of ESEA Waivers for States and School Districts

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Campaign for High School Equity, a coalition of leading civil rights and education advocacy organizations, is calling on the Obama administration to protect our nation's children by enforcing strong oversight before allowing states to waive core accountability measures currently required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Anything less than clear standards and guidelines for the waiver process would abandon the federal government's decades old commitment to supporting our most disadvantaged students, including students of color, Native students, and those from low-income communities. CHSE is deeply concerned that the waiver program, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Education, would result in each state creating its own rules for holding schools accountable for student achievement, thus masking the grave shortcomings of ineffective schools.

If Congress does not reauthorize ESEA this year, we urge the administration to implement strict rules, including 1) full and immediate transparency in the waiver request process; 2) requirements that states applying for waivers must implement plans for all low-performing schools that are designed to produce better outcomes for students, including those with graduation rates of less than 60 percent; 3) a peer review process that consists of civil rights community representatives and secondary school reform experts on each review team; 4) meaningful engagement of communities of color and Native communities in waiver and related reform implementation; and 5) stringent oversight to ensure that waivers result in meaningful reforms specifically designed to better serve low-income students and students of color.

Graduating all students ready for college and careers is essential to our nation's long-term prosperity. CHSE partners are united in the belief that the federal government must demand and support better results for all children, particularly those from historically disadvantaged communities.

Note: CHSE executive director Michael Wotorson and representatives from partner organizations, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, National Urban League, National Indian Education Association, and Southeast Asia Resource Center, are available to offer in depth perspective on this critical issue.

Interviews are available upon request. Please contact Sarim Ngo at (202) 248-5473 or [email protected].

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, The Leadership Conference 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