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

       FOR RELEASE                                Contact: Melinda Kitchell Malico     March 14, 1996                                      (202) 401-1008

Vermont Given Unprecedented Statewide Flexibility in Education Programs

To help advance local school improvement efforts in Vermont, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today awarded Vermont authority to waive federal education rules and regulations that get in the way of community efforts to improve teaching and learning. Statewide, school district and individual school waivers designed to cut red tape are available under the new "EdFlex" partnership between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Education.

This break with the old top-down approach to government was made possible by the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It is designed to promote and support state and community efforts to help students learn the basics and core subjects to high standards.

"The EdFlex program is a striking example of new partnerships the Clinton administration is forming with states and communities to help raise academic standards and improve discipline in our schools. Vermont has demonstrated its commitment to providing flexibility, accountability and effective innovation in order to improve teaching and learning," Riley said.

"I am pleased to announce that Vermont is one of six states involved in this exciting partnership for better education," said Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin. "Secretary Riley and I applaud the state of Vermont for improving teaching and learning under the state's Green Mountain Challenge.' EdFlex will allow greater flexibility in exchange for accountability."

Selection of Vermont as an EdFlex state allows waiver decisions to be made by the state -- not the federal government -- giving the state the power to waive rules that can limit local and state efforts to improve teaching and learning in exchange for accountability for student progress. Vermont plans to build on its experience with state waivers as a tool for school improvement and continue to support district- and school-level decision making.

Vermont joins Ohio, Oregon, Kansas, Massachusetts and Texas as recently designated EdFlex states. A total of six states earned the status under the Goals 2000 Act.

To qualify for the waiver authority under the Education Flexibility Partnership Demonstration Program, Vermont designed and submitted its Green Mountain Challenge comprehensive school improvement plan. The plan was developed with local input from parents, educators, community members and the private sector and ties the state's school improvement plan to challenging academic standards for learning. Vermont also pledged to waive numerous state requirements that apply to education and to hold schools and districts accountable for students' academic performance.

School districts and schools in Vermont will be able to seek waivers from requirements of the Perkins Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including Title I, the Safe and Drug free Schools and Communities provisions, Eisenhower Professional Development, and other programs. Civil rights requirements will not be waived. Likewise, waivers are not allowable under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Goals 2000 helps local partnerships improve local schools, raise student academic achievement, involve parents in schools, bring technology into the classroom, upgrade teachers' skills and knowledge throughout their careers, and create partnerships with business and community groups. Vermont received $1.3 million in the second year of Goals 2000 and nearly $400,000 in the first year.

Riley said the department's commitment to flexibility also is reflected in its implementation of the Goals 2000 Act. The education reform law has no regulations, nor will any be issued. Forty-eight states received funds in year one to develop blueprints for better schools.

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