A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Urban and Rural Local Reform Initiative Grants

Many urban and rural communities that have high concentrations of poor and/or limited English proficient students have high dropout rates and low levels of student achievement. These severe problems can be overcome through higher expectations, better instructional opportunities, and greater community and parent involvement and collaboration that address students' diverse needs. To develop model educational approaches for these contexts, five urban and five rural districts received competitive grants directly from the U.S. Department of Education using $2.1 million in 1995 of GOALS 2000 national leadership funds.

• The Chicago Public Schools received $605,903 to help all students reach Illinois' academic standards in the Illinois State School Quality Initiative. Through this project, Chicago has 100 schools developing and implementing school improvement plans--with the involvement of teachers, parents, and community members--that are responsive to the educational needs of limited English proficient and economically disadvantaged students. Over the course of four years, Chicago intends to: increase the high school graduation rate to 80 percent; raise the student daily attendance rate; increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in core subjects; and increase to 90 percent the percentage of graduates employed or engaged in advanced training or higher education a year after graduation.

• The Box Elder Public Schools and the Heart Butte District #1 in Montana each received grants--totalling $84,308 and $69,369 respectively--to raise student achievement. Both districts mainly serve Native American students, more than half of whom are limited English proficient and/or economically disadvantaged. Communitywide panels are developing strategies for schoolwide reform and measures to track progress of their reform initiatives. They are also refocusing their curriculum and developing various model assessments tied to challenging standards in ten subject areas to meet Montana's goals for student learning.

[GOALS 2000 Activity Across the Nation]

[Flexibility: Results, Not Rules]