WASHINGTON - The House Rules Committee last night approved the floor procedures for House consideration of H.R. 2, the "Students Results Act," bipartisan legislation designed to renew and improve federal education programs dealing with disadvantaged children by providing increased instructional quality, educational choice and education excellence.

"America's schools are failing to teach the very children who need educational excellence the most - our disadvantaged children," said Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee. "This is a good example of bipartisan teamwork to help improve our failing schools. We must reward educational excellence and provide real public school choice."

The Committee approved a modified open rule that provides for 90 minutes of debate. Further procedural information on the rule is available at the Rules Committee web site at www.house.gov/rules/rule2.htm. Specifically, the legislation:

• improves the quality of instruction, by freezing the hiring of often unqualified paraprofessionals, raising the standards for existing paraprofessionals and all Title I;

• provides increased educational choice by allowing children attending low performing schools to transfer to better public schools in their area;

• rewards educational excellence by allowing states to set aside up to 30 percent of all new Title I funds for cash rewards to schools that make substantial progress in closing student achievement gaps;

• empowers parents with bilingual children by giving them the opportunity to have informed consent before their disadvantaged children are placed in a Title I bilingual classroom;

• The Students Results Act, which partly renews the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides approximately $9.33 billion per year. The Education Flexibility Act of 1999, which was signed into law, and the Teacher Empowerment Act, H.R. 1995, are part of the necessary renewal of ESEA.