Today, August 26, 2009, the U.S. Department of Education released a notice of proposed requirements for School Improvement Grants (SIG) authorized under Sec. 1003(g) of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The proposed requirements focus on what information State educational agencies (SEAs) should consider when allocating funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). SEAs must still allocate at least 95% of all SIG funds to LEAs for schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. Unlike prior guidance, however, SEAs will have different criteria to consider when allocating funds to LEAs. LEAs must divide their schools into three different tiers when applying for SIG funds:
· Tier I: The lowest-achieving 5% of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in the State, or the five lowest-achieving Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is greater.
· Tier II: Equally low-achieving secondary schools (both middle and high schools) in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds.
· Tier III: The remaining Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that are not Tier I schools in the State. The Secretary encourages an SEA to develop criteria to further differentiate among the schools in Tier III, either in the State as a whole or within an LEA.
SEAs are directed to give priority to those LEAs serving the largest number of Tier I and II schools. SEAs are also directed to give priority to those LEAs that display the strongest commitment to turning around failing schools, especially those interested in implementing one of four new “rigorous interventions”:
· Turnaround model, which would include, among other actions, replacing the principal and at least 50 percent of the school’s staff, adopting a new governance structure, and implementing a new or revised instructional program.
· Restart model, in which an LEA would close the school and reopen it under the management of a charter school operator, a charter management organization (CMO), or an educational management organization (EMO) that has been selected through a rigorous review process.
· School closure, in which an LEA would close the school and enroll the students who attended the school in other, high-achieving schools in the LEA.
· Transformation model, which would address four specific areas critical to transforming the lowest achieving schools:
o Developing teacher and school leader effectiveness;
o Implementing comprehensive instructional reform strategies;
o Extending learning time and creating community-oriented schools; and
o Providing operating flexibility and sustained support.
These proposed requirements are open for public comment through September 25, 2009 and are available at:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-20612.htm
