Title: To provide for Project GRAD programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [3] [D-NY-4] (introduced 2/7/2007)      Cosponsors (15)
Latest Major Action: 6/5/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.Highlights: A grant to Project GRAD USA, a nonprofit educational organization for improving high school graduation and college attendance and completion rates for disadvantaged students, to provide technical assistance and support through subgrants to existing and new programs that implement a set of integrated education reform services. Requires the grantee to select only subgrantees that serve a substantial number or percentage of low-income students.

Grant eligibility: A grant can be awarded to a nonprofit educational organization that has as its primary purpose the improvement of secondary school graduation and college attendance and completion rates for disadvantaged students, to implement and sustain the integrated education reform services.

ASPIRA Policy Position

ASPIRA supports programs that promote high school graduation rates especially in low-income communities.

ASPIRA is concerned, however, that directing funds to a single entity (Project GRAD USA) to provide subgrants,  rather than providing for a direct grant program, offers this entity with a special status.  ASPIRA supports a direct grant program with the same purpose.

Title: To provide grants to States to ensure that all students exit the middle grades prepared for success in a high school with an academically rigorous curriculum that prepares students for postsecondary education and the workplace.
Sponsor: Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [5] [D-AZ-7] (introduced 8/3/2007)      Cosponsors (11)
Latest Major Action: 9/19/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.Highlights: Grants will be made to each approved State educational agency. At least 80 percent of the grant funds awarded under this title to a State educational agency shall be used to make subgrants to local educational agencies. The middle school improvement plan of a State educational agency shall be a statewide plan to improve student achievement that describes what students are required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school that prepares students for postsecondary education and the workplace.

Grant eligibility: Funds will be allotted among the States in proportion to the number of children, aged 5 to 17, who reside within each State and are from families with incomes below the poverty line. Grants to State education agencies will not be less than $20 million. Subgrants will be made to local education agencies such as an institution of higher education, an education service agency, and any non-profit organization with demonstrated expertise in high quality middle level interventions.

ASPIRA Policy Position

ASPIRA fully supports the measure as it promotes efforts to improve student academic achievement.

ASPIRA also supports the size of the authorization, but is concerned that a reduced annual appropriation and a requirement that grants be no less than $20 million to any state, may lead to many states being left out of the program altogether or that no grants would be awarded.

Title: A bill to award competitive grants to eligible partnerships to enable the partnerships to implement innovative strategies at the secondary school level to improve student achievement and prepare at-risk students for postsecondary education and the workforce.
Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [7] [D-NV] (introduced 8/1/2007)      Cosponsors (4)
Latest Major Action: 8/1/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.Highlights: Funds may be used for activities such as: Creating expanded learning time opportunities, improving student transitions from middle school to high school and ensuring successful entry into high school, Improving student transitions from secondary school to postsecondary education and the workforce, increasing the autonomy and flexibility of secondary schools, and improving teaching and increasing academic rigor at the secondary school level.

Grant eligibility: Grants will be awarded, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to pay the Federal share of the costs of implementing innovative strategies to improve the achievement of at-risk students in secondary schools. Partnerships are defined as a state or local education agency partnering with at least one of the following: an institute of higher education, a nonprofit organization, a community-based organization, a business, or a school development organization.

ASPIRA Policy Position

ASPIRA supports efforts to improve student academic achievement.This legislation could be integrated with the House Success in Middle School Act

Title: To provide grants to States to improve high schools and raise graduation rates while ensuring rigorous standards, to develop and implement effective school models for struggling students and dropouts, and to improve State policies to raise graduation rates, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Hinojosa, Ruben [9] [D-TX-15] (introduced 6/28/2007)      Cosponsors (31)
Related Bills: S.1185 [10]
Latest Major Action: 9/11/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.Highlights: Authorizes grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for differentiated high school improvement systems targeting support to schools with low student achievement and graduation rates after the school fails for two consecutive years to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards.

Grant eligibility: Grants can be awarded to (1) LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop and implement, or replicate, effective school models for struggling students and dropouts; and (2) states to adjust their policies to allow for educational innovations that improve high school graduation rates while ensuring rigorous education content standards and assessments, if such states implement differentiated high school improvement systems and statewide longitudinal student data systems.

ASPIRA Policy Position

ASPIRA fully supports this legislation as it promotes efforts to improve student academic achievement.