More Resources Title I Final Regulations Sec. Rod Paige's Statement Summary of Final Regulations Fact Sheet

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today released final regulations for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and expressed confidence in the ability and determination of states, school districts and the public to rise to the challenge of helping each and every child improve their academic achievement.

"With these regulations in hand, states can continue to move forward in their efforts to raise student achievement," said Paige.  "States that have already established robust accountability systems can build upon and augment them—all states have room to improve. 

"We know that the goal of achieving genuine education reform will only be met with the insight gleaned from measurement of student and school progress toward high academic standards.  Only if we hold schools and school districts accountable for the improved achievement of all students will we meet the goal of leaving no child behind and ensure that every child learns, every school has the opportunity to improve and every dollar is spent wisely for those purposes."

The new law authorizes the Title I Program, a $10.4 billion federal education program that aims to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers by supporting schools in providing extra help to more than 14 million disadvantaged children.  NCLB provides unprecedented new resources, including an extraordinary $15 billion or 41 percent increase in federal funding since fiscal year 2000. 

"The American people have made it clear that they want schools held accountable for delivering a world—class education for every child," added Paige. "We will no longer spend billions of dollars on education without accountability.  The president's requested increase for the Education Department for 2003 will build upon these generous resources. The No Child Left Behind Act is about getting a return on that investment—improved student achievement for all our children."

Under one of the landmark reform law's central principles—stronger accountability for student results—schools will be required to measure student progress annually and make "adequate yearly progress," known as "AYP," toward state standards, both overall and for subgroups of students.

"States now have what they need to move forward in fully implementing the accountability provisions of No Child Left Behind," Paige said,  "and we will work as full partners in helping states complete their work on one integrated, statewide accountability system.  Accountability is the linchpin of school improvement and, indeed, the central tenet of NCLB.  We will be firm but fair in guiding this bipartisan effort to raise student achievement and close the achievement gap."

If Title I-funded schools do not make progress, they receive new resources and extra help to improve student achievement.  Parents receive a range of options to help their children advance academically, including the option to transfer their child to a better-performing public school within the district or receive extra supports to help their child learn, such as tutoring.

"Giving parents options for helping their children learn better is a natural and necessary condition for improving student achievement," Paige noted.  "These final regulations reiterate that parents must be given options for seeking better and expanded learning opportunities for their children. School districts must tell parents what they deserve to know about the quality of their schools, what their plans are for revamping schools that need to improve, the qualifications of their teachers and teachers' aides, and options and opportunities for additional help."

The final regulations signal that Secretary Paige and President Bush faithfully implemented the statutory provisions governing AYP.  If a state integrates AYP, as defined in the statute and regulations, into its current accountability system it may continue to use its existing accountability system. 

A spirit of partnership with state and local officials was set in motion by Secretary Paige in meetings with state education officials just days after the January 8, 2002, signing of the bill. 

Under the secretary's direction, department officials have met early and often with parents, teachers, superintendents, principals, state school chiefs and governors to listen to and learn about their concerns and views. 

Following his historic January 2002 summit with state education officials at the Mount Vernon Estate in Alexandria, Va., in February, Paige also met with and listened to school superintendents and school board members representing the nation's largest school districts.  Paige next held discussions with governors, and, beginning in April, he toured 25 cities across the nation to reach out to local communities about the principles of the new law.  In May, President Bush joined Secretary Paige for one of those visits in Southfield, Mich. 

In addition to making numerous presentations at education conferences across the nation, this fall ED officials hosted four regional meetings for state- and district-level education administrators to help familiarize them with the proposed Title I rules. 

Regional academies to acquaint state and district education leaders with the new $900 million Reading First Program and the president's Good Start, Grow Smart early childhood initiative, have helped prepare hundreds of educators to move forward.  The secretary met with urban school superintendents in mid-October to hear their concerns and suggestions. 

The draft regulations were published in the Federal Register on August 6, followed by a 30-day public comment period.  In addition, prior to the public comment period, the department received extensive comments on AYP and other aspects of the law during the negotiated rulemaking process for standards and assessments. 

The department also undertook extensive outreach during meetings and conferences to solicit public input for the proposed regulations.  Departmental staff and senior leadership reviewed the comments and, when necessary, changes were made to clarify and answer questions raised during the public comment period. 

The all-encompassing final regulations take into consideration the fruits of this ambitious and time-consuming effort to hear from every sector of America on the best way to ensure that every child learns. 

"I want to send my sincere thanks and appreciation to the American people for their time and thoughtfulness in sharing their views on these critical issues and reforms," Paige added.  "And I also want to thank the many dedicated employees at the U.S. Department of Education who put in countless hours of work in completing this Herculean task."

"Title I -- Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Final Rule," is available now at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/legislation.html#reg.  The regulations will be published in the Federal Register within days.  For additional information about NCLB, visit www.nclb.gov.

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