Improvement Plan For Chapter 1 Seen Needing Overhaul

By Julie A. Miller

WASHINGTON--As the Chapter 1 "program improvement'' initiative enters its third year, many observers have concluded that the controversial program is not working as intended. Educators, researchers, and advocates familiar with Chapter 1 agree that lawmakers should retain the accountability concept when the Congress reassesses Chapter 1 next year, but that the improvement process needs a substantial overhaul.

"I'm not prepared to say it's a failure,'' said Cynthia Brown, the director of the resource center on educational equity at the Council of Chief State School Officers and a key member of a Chapter 1 study commission established by the council.

"The idea is right--we need accountability based on student outcomes,'' she said. "But there are big problems with how it's implemented and particularly...