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First Congressional District of New Mexico
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ask.heather@mail.house.gov

In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax

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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico


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Bush Education Bill Passes House May 23, 2001
 
Wilson Provisions on Bilingual Education and Teacher Mentoring Included in Landmark Bill


WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Heather Wilson voted for final passage today of H.R. 1, the No Child Left Behind Act, which was passed overwhelmingly (384-45) by the House.

“This is the most important piece of education legislation in 35 years. Over the last 20 years, we have invested in education, but, in to many communities, the achievement gap between rich and poor, anglo and minority has widened. We can no longer afford to leave any child behind.”

“This legislation represents a significant break from the past. It gives unprecedented flexibility to local school districts. It focuses resources on making sure every child can read by third grade. It allows parents to move their children to other public schools if a school is not performing and requires accountability to parents and the public.” Wilson noted.

Some of the main feature of the No Child Left Behind Act are:

ENHANCING ACCOUNTABILITY & DEMANDING RESULTS
* H.R. 1 includes President Bush’s rigorous plan for holding state and local school districts that use federal funds accountable for improving student achievement.
* The measure requires states and local schools to demonstrate results through annual reading and math assessments for students in grades 3-8. It authorizes $400 million to help states design the tests.

UNPRECEDENTED LOCAL FLEXIBILITY
* H.R. 1 dramatically enhances flexibility for local school districts, giving them the freedom to transfer up to 50 percent of the federal education dollars they receive among an assortment of federal education programs as long as they demonstrate results. Local school districts do not have to receive permission from the state or the Education Secretary to transfer funds.
* This unprecedented new flexibility gives local school districts the freedom to target resources where they’re needed most -- from class size reduction to higher teacher salaries to technology in the classroom -- and address needs that often change from one year to the next, since these transfers are not permanent and must be made on an annual basis.

BREAKTHROUGH CONSOLIDATION
* The bill eliminates or consolidates 34 federal Elementary And Secondary Education Act (ESEA) programs out of a total of 66, streamlining more than 50 percent of the federal K-12 education bureaucracy in one swift stroke.

EMPOWERING PARENTS
* H.R. 1 requires states and school districts to prepare annual report cards on their schools to better inform parents about the quality of their child’s school.
* Moreover, it allows parents to remove their child from a low-performing school and send them to a different public school immediately after their school has been identified as failing.

IMPROVING MATH & SCIENCE EDUCATION
* H.R. 1 establishes the Math and Science Partnership program to provide grant funds for states to work in conjunction with institutions of higher education in strengthening K-12 math and science education.
* Partnerships will focus on strengthening math and science instruction in elementary and secondary schools and may include such activities as making math and science curricula more rigorous, improving professional development, and attracting math and science majors to teaching.

Wilson Provisions Included: Mentoring, Certification, Bilingual Education, Charter Schools

The bill also includes provisions that Wilson authored to create a teacher mentoring program. Under Wilson’s plan veteran educators would mentor beginning teachers who work in the same subject area, and mentoring activities would have to be consistent with State professional development programs and performance standards. Through this provision, Wilson seeks to stem high turn-over rates as teachers begin their careers, since one-third of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. Like doctors in their medical residency and lawyers as associates, teacher supported by a senior colleague will become skilled more quickly and are more likely to stay in the profession.

Wilson also authored provisions to allow funding to states for alternative certification programs. Many talented professionals, with valuable experience but a lack of teaching credentials, are discouraged from entering the teaching profession because they have to go back to undergraduate school to fulfill the traditional teacher certification requirements. Wilson hopes to address both teacher supply and quality by providing pathways to the teaching field other than the traditional route, while still ensuring that individuals who complete these programs meet State standards.

The bill consolidates three bilingual education programs and increases the authorized spending on Bilingual education from $460 million annually to $800 million annually. $50 million of this program was added at the request of Wilson and Congressman Hinojosa (D-TX).

Finally, in an agreed upon colloquy on the floor of the House, Wilson secured the agreement of the Chairman of the Education Committee to add further provisions on public school choice and removing the financial barriers for charter schools in the Conference Committee with the Senate.

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