Title I Program: Stronger Accountability Needed for Performance of Disadvantaged Students
HEHS-00-89
Published: Jun 01, 2000. Publicly Released: Jun 01, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) Title I services at schoolwide and targeted assistance schools; (2) state efforts to hold schools and districts accountable for student achievement; and (3) research and evaluations of Title I and schoolwide programs.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| To hold schools and districts accountable for improving the performance of disadvantaged students and to help educators, parents, and others discern whether achievement gaps between disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged students are closing, Congress may wish to consider requiring that states' criteria for progress, as expressed in their definitions of adequate yearly progress, apply specifically to disadvantaged children, as well as to the overall student population. | Congress reauthorized the elementary and secondary education legislation in the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." In the legislation, Congress requires that states included in their definition of adequate yearly progress separate annual numerical objectives for all students and economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | 1. The Secretary of Education should conduct additional activities to facilitate the exchange of information and the best practices among states so they can identify ways to improve the timeliness and specificity of their assessment data, the collection and reporting of disaggregated assessment data, and the clarity of their criteria for adequate yearly progress. |
Education has reviewed possible options to improve its technical assistance activities and has facilitated state information exchange through a web site, Education site visits, and conferences.
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| Department of Education | 2. The Secretary of Education should implement additional measures to improve research on the effectiveness of specific services in both schoolwide programs and targeted assistance schools. Such measures could include expanding and improving current data collection efforts so that comprehensive analyses could be conducted linking program characteristics to services and student outcomes, or developing an evaluation for a study or set of studies of educational services that would include national representation of both schoolwide and targeted assistance schools. |
Education has initiated these activities in conjunction with the formation of the Institute for Educational Studies and the development of an overall research plan. For example, they will undertake data collection to help link program characteristics to services and student outcomes.
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Topics
Academic achievementAccountabilityAid for educationDisadvantaged personsEconomically depressed areasEducation program evaluationPerformance measuresSchoolsState-administered programsStudents