Don’t overlook middle schools in NCLB reauthorization, some members of Congress are saying.
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Az., is pointing to findings buried in a recent report that show a disproportionate number of middle schools are failing to make AYP. Although 15 percent of schools in the Title I program serve the middle grades, a third of the schools in restructuring or corrective action are middle schools, the Government Accountability Office says in this report.
Rep. Grijalva is pointing to the figures as a reason to address middle schools’ problems in NCLB reauthorization. He has sponsored a middle school bill, H.R. 3406. It would require states to write plans to improve their middle schools and to create a system to identify middle schoolers at risk of academic failure. The bill also would start a national clearinghouse on how to improve the academic achievement of middle schoolers.
Rep. Grijalva is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and says he will offer his middle school bill as an amendment to the NCLB bill the committee considers. He has the support of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
