Innovation in Effective Compassion Home > Changing Lives > Targeting Human Needs > Students in Underperforming Schools

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	Compassion Spotlight
	The Bush Administration has provided more than $1.8 billion in funding to expand charter schools. There were 2,000 charters in America in 2001. Today there are over 4,300, serving 1.3 million children - nearly three percent of all public school students. The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program has opened the door for 2,600 students to attend a private school of their choice. A Georgetown University study of the Program found that participating children have demonstrated an improved attitude toward learning and enhanced self-confidence. In the 2006-2007 school year, more than 535,000 children received tutoring through providers of Supplemental Educational Services, many of which are faith-based and community organizations. Several studies report that these services are improving student achievement.

The Need
The Response
   School Choice
   Tutoring for Students in Low-Performing Schools
   Ongoing National Leadership

The Need

• Student achievement in US urban areas remains staggeringly low. A recent national test found that only 22% of 8th graders in large central cities are proficient in math.
• Nearly 50% of students in America's major urban school districts do not graduate on time. 15% of the nation's schools produce more than half the dropouts.
• Dropouts from the class of 2007 will cost $300 billion in lost wages, lost tax revenue, and lost productivity over their lifetimes.

The Response

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) increased funding for disadvantaged children by 60 percent and insisted that states develop accountability standards, evaluate local schools and inform parents of the results. Prior to NCLB, low-income families, in particular, were often relegated to the education sidelines and provided few options if their child's school was underperforming.

The desperate situation faced by many students in low-performing school districts demands the enlistment of all partners committed to improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth. The law did just that. America's nonprofit organizations have proven to be vital allies in improving achievement. While challenges remain, achievement scores in the last eight years have risen by 8% and the achievement gap has narrowed by 12%.

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative has led a wide range of efforts to expand the work of faith-based and other nonpublic schools and community service groups that offer academic opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

School Choice

To expand options for children in low-performing schools, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative supports a continuum of education options for families, including magnet schools, online learning, charter schools, private schools, and home schools. In 2002, the Office of Innovation and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education was created to lead these efforts in concert with the FBCI. This work includes the following programs.

TheThe Charter Schools Program (CSP) and other programs have provided more than $1.8 billion to open new charter schools and $320 million for facilities support. There were 2,000 charters in America in 2001. Today there are over 4,300 in 40 States, plus the District of Columbia, which serve over 1.3 million children.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is the first Federally funded K-12 scholarship program. The Opportunity Scholarship Program offers low-income parents residing in the District of Columbia up to $7,500 for tuition, transportation, and fees for each child, which the parents may use at a private school of their choice. In the 2007-08 school year alone, approximately 1,900 students participated in the program, attending 54 private schools across the District.

Based on survey and focus group findings, parents of children enrolled in the program are extremely satisfied and DC residents support the program. A 2005 Georgetown University study on the first year of the program found that participating parents are more involved in their child’s education and that the program has increased communication between parents and their children. The report also showed that children participating in this program demonstrated improved attitudes toward learning and enhanced self-confidence. Read the full 2005 Georgetown Study (PDF 486 KB)

Tutoring for Students in Low-Performing Schools

Supplemental Educational Service (SES)is a key parental choice component of No Child Left Behind. SES is available to all students from low-income families who attend a persistently low-performing school. Families may select a State-approved tutor who will best meet their child's academic needs. In 2006-2007, more than 535,000 children received tutoring through SES providers, some of which were faith-based and community organizations. Several studies have documented the effectiveness of SES in improving student achievement. A June 2007 RAND Corporation study found that

• Participation in SES had a statistically significant, positive effect on students achievement in reading and math;
• The impact may be cumulative: Students participating for multiple years experienced gains twice as large as those of students participating for one year;  
• Participation is highest among African American and Hispanic students; and
• African American students, Hispanic students, and students with disabilities all experienced positive achievement effects from participating in SES.

Read the full 2007 RAND Corporation Study (PDF-664 KB)

Ongoing National Leadership

The Department of Education's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives efforts included the following:

• Provided training and technical assistance to approximately 10,000, including 90 regional workshops in 36 States, to help interested FBCOs become approved SES providers;
• Hosted three regional Innovations in Education summits for FBCOs; As a result of these summits, 79% of the attendees reported that they were more likely to get involved in pursuing educational options their family or other students in their community;
• Funded pilot initiatives to help grow the number of approved FBCO SES tutoring providers and helped school districts and States to improve participation rates;

The effects of these initiatives extend far beyond the Federal level. The charter school movement is growing, SES options are expanding, and new choice models are developing.   622,000 students are participating in school choice programs. 24 school choice programs are operating in 15 States and the District of Columbia .