School Reform & Dropout Prevention

NWLC has worked since 1972 to ensure equal educational opportunities and has worked since Congress enacted Title IX to advance and protect the rights of students in educational institutions. NWLC believes that children should have equal access to high quality education programs and that federal education policy must ensure that all students can benefit equally from rigorous academic standards. We’re working for education reforms that will help improve graduation rates and post-secondary success for all students, particularly girls of color, who are dropping out of school at high rates.

Highlights

Blog Post | Keep Harassment Out of Schools

October 11, 2011

Tell your Senators that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) renewal bill must outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Senate is working on this major school reform bill right now. It is essential that ESEA includes the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), to outlaw discrimination in public K-12 schools based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Letter to Secretary Duncan re: ESEA Waivers and Accountability

September 6, 2011

This letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlines the Center’s concerns regarding the Department of Education’s plan to waive some of the requirements for states under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA, or No Child Left Behind). Most states have indicated their intention to for these.  In evaluating the requests, it is imperative that the Department maintain core provisions of ESEA’s accountability system, such as the requirement that states, districts, and schools demonstrate continued progress toward and be held accountable for improving student academic achievement and graduation rates. This is especially critical among subgroups of students.  The Center urged the Department to require states that get waivers to collect and disseminate data on graduation rates, academic assessments, and any other indicators of student performance that are fully disaggregated, including by gender, and cross-tabulated by gender and race/ethnicity.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | Joint Statement of Civil Rights Leaders to HELP Committee re: ESEA

April 4, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education recognized that the access toeducation is fundamental to ensuring equal opportunity for all Americans. But Brown was momentous not simply because it affirmed the right of black and brown children to be treated equally in the classroom, but also because it reinforced a core principle: that equity is central to our democratic society. While Brown energized the civil rights movement, we know that making its promise a reality has proved challenging, to say the least. The enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was one way of implementing the civil rights principles fought for in Brown.C

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Reports & Toolkits | Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation - Executive Summary

June 9, 2009

Latinas are dropping out of school in alarming numbers. 41% of Latina students do not graduate with their class in four years - if they graduate at all. Listening to Latinas explores the causes of the dropout crisis for Latinas and identifies the actions needed to improve their graduation rates and get them ready for college.

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More Resources

Legal Briefs & Testimony | Bipartisan Coalition Ltr. to Senate HELP Committee re Federal Accountability in ESEA 10.19.11

October 19, 2011

In an unprecedented show of unity in advance of today’s Senate mark-up of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2011, a bipartisan coalition of civil rights groups, business associations, statewide education officials, and education advocates are declining to support the bill proposed by HELP Committee Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Enzi due in large part to the absence of accountability measures that narrow the achievement gaps for low-income students, students of color, English language learners, and students with disabilities.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Letter to Senate HELP Committee re: ESEA 10.19.11

October 19, 2011

The Senate HELP Committee is currently marking up a bill to reauthorize ESEA.  This bill falls seriously short of ensuring that all children have access to a quality education that will prepare them for college and careers, despite the fact that it contains some positive elements.  The bill sets no goals or targets for states to improve student achievement or graduation rates, and leaves it up to each state to determine which achievement gaps merit attention. The bill also does not go far enough to effectively address bullying, harassment, and excessive disciplinary practices, among other things.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Letter to Secretary Duncan re: ESEA Waivers and Accountability

September 06, 2011

This letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outlines the Center’s concerns regarding the Department of Education’s plan to waive some of the requirements for states under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA, or No Child Left Behind). Most states have indicated their intention to for these.  In evaluating the requests, it is imperative that the Department maintain core provisions of ESEA’s accountability system, such as the requirement that states, districts, and schools demonstrate continued progress toward and be held accountable for improving student academic achievement and graduation rates. This is especially critical among subgroups of students.  The Center urged the Department to require states that get waivers to collect and disseminate data on graduation rates, academic assessments, and any other indicators of student performance that are fully disaggregated, including by gender, and cross-tabulated by gender and race/ethnicity.

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Coalition Action Materials | Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act (H.R. 2617)

August 05, 2011

The Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act (H.R. 2617) is comprehensive legislation designed to improve high school graduation rates and access to postsecondary educational and career opportunities for pregnant and parenting students. 

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | NWLC Written Statement to Senate Subcommittee on Immigration Re: DREAM Act

June 28, 2011

The National Women's Law Center, along with 140 other organizations, submitted written statements in support of DREAM Act in preparation for a hearing on the merits of the bill on June 28, 2011.  The DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brough to this country before the age of 16, graduate from high school, exhibit good moral character, and attain at least two years of post-secondary education or two years of miltary service, among many other requirements.

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