Parent Teacher Association of Connecticut, Inc.
AMERICA'S FIRST STATE PTA, EST. 1900

Emphasizes increased flexibility in exchange for more accountability. Would require states to give mathematics and reading tests to all students in grades 3-8 who attend schools receiving federal Title I aid and to publish annual school-by-school report cards with student performance broken down by race and income. States that failed to improve student achievement over five years would be required to place the administrative portion of their federal aid into a fund for charter schools. Would offer bonuses to states and schools that made the most progress in improving student achievement.

National PTA wants to assure accountability in all education programs, but particularly in programs that are gaining popularity as "reforms". Measures to expand flexibility, create new charter schools, and add public school choice programs must all have measurable accountability provisions to assure that federal dollars are spent in ways that will improve student achievement. To assure accountability in all federal education programs, PTA is supporting the PARENT Act, which will strengthen parent involvement in Title I and extend applicable parent involvement provisions to other ESEA programs. PTA does not oppose annual testing of children for accountability, provided the necessary educational and support services are available at the front end. Schools must have adequate capacity to assure that all children have access to high quality education programs. Testing and assessment policies must be fair, linked to the standards and criteria students are expected to learn, use multiple measures of academic performance and skills; and involve parents in development, implementation, and evaluation of methods and practices. Appropriate accommodations must also be available for students with disabilities and other special needs. Testing proposals must provide for appropriate parent involvement and adequate funding for states and schools to carry out the intended purposes. National PTA believes school report cards, if certain criteria are met in how they are developed and used, can be an effective means for reporting information about schools to parents and the community. PTA is opposed to taking funds from schools that have not shown improvement and giving the money to charter schools. PTA opposes the expansion of charter schools until existing charter schools have been evaluated to see if current programs are effective and have adequate and measurable accountability.

Supports vouchers for students in failing Title I schools that do not improve their students' performance after three years. Such schools would be required to give a portion of their federal aid to students to enable them to attend another school, whether public or private. Would seek to double the number of charter schools by 2003 by creating a Charter School Homestead Fund, which would provide $3 billion in loan guarantees over two years for such costs as the acquisition, leasing, and renovation of facilities.

National PTA believes tax dollars should fund public schools ONLY, where ninety percent of America's children are educated. PTA believes in public school choice. National PTA opposes vouchers, tax subsidies, indirect financing schemes such as opportunity scholarships or certificates, and other mechanisms that divert public funds to private and religious schools. PTA opposes additional expansion of charter school proposals until evaluations of existing charter schools have been completed to assess if current programs are effective.

Would combine existing federal funds for professional development, class-size reduction, and the Goals 2000 school reform program into a flexible new fund for teacher training and recruitment, with $400 million a year in additional money. In return, states would be required to establish teacher-accountability systems. Would establish a tax deduction for teachers to help defray their out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

National PTA supports professional development opportunities for educators on how to work effectively with parents and how to use technology to bridge the gaps in communication between the home and school. Obstacles that impede the implementation of parent involvement activities, such as lack of adequate teacher training, must be eliminated. National PTA supports the federal class size reduction initiative, which includes strong teacher quality improvement provisions.

PTA believes schools must embrace policies and practices that integrate a broad range of education, health, and social services, including early childhood education programs.

UPDATE: April 2, 2002

The president's plan requires that the most effective early pre-reading and language curricula and teaching strategies for early childhood educators and caregivers be identified. Information on ways to assure the health, safety, nutrition, and cognitive development of newborns would also be disseminated to parents and families. Finally, the initiative would provide caregivers guidance on how to promote strong cognitive development in children, while supporting strong social and emotional growth.

For additional information on early childhood education, CLICK HERE

PTA has concerns about charitable choice, which raises constitutional issues about the separation of church and state. Charitable choice could also lead to limited public dollars being diverted to private and religious schools.