School Reform and Improvement

What Does the Legislation Say?

Title VII of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994, which focuses on increasing the capacity of LEAs and SEAs to provide programs of bilingual education to English language learners, also provides direction and encouragement for ongoing school improvement through several grant categories. Under the 1994 reauthorization, Title VII seeks to end the fragmentation of bilingual education programs and their isolation from other school reform efforts. Two grant categories­comprehensive school grants and systemwide improvement grants­focus specifically on integrating education for the English language learner with overall school or district reform initiatives. Comprehensive school grants are five-year grants awarded for the purpose of implementing schoolwide reform programs that serve all students in schools with significant concentrations of English language learners. Systemwide improvement grants are also five-year grants for district-wide projects that serve all or most English language learners. These programs aim to improve and reform educational programs that serve all students within districts that have large numbers of English language learners. Through these and other grant categories, Title VII promotes the following set of principles: Content and performance standards underway in states and districts nation wide are for all children, including those that speak a language other than English; English language learners should have the opportunity to learn the content and high-level skills that school reform efforts advocate for all children; Proficiency in two or more languages should be promoted for all children. (An Idea Book 1994 Federal Educational Legislation: Forming New Partnerships for Educating All Students to High Standards, National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, April 1995)