Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Letter to the Honorable George Miller, Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee

16 July 2010

Honorable George Miller
Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee
United States Congress
2205 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Miller,

We, the undersigned providers and advocates for high quality after school, summer, and expanded learning programs, write to express our thoughts on policy direction for the reauthorization of the 21st Community Learning Center program (21st CCLC). First and foremost, we thank you for your longstanding leadership in public education, particularly in supporting the important role of after school, summer, and expanded learning programs in helping to ensure all students succeed. Second, we write to lend our support for your efforts to expand and strengthen the 21st CCLC program in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by giving local communities the flexibility to develop programs that best meet student needs and rely on strong community partnerships.  We also look forward to working with you to better align the 21st CCLC program with Title I, especially school improvement plans and efforts.

Specifically, we are pleased to support the following policies to strengthen the 21st CCLC program as part of ESEA:

• Providing local options. Local communities will have full authority without state or federal preference or direction to make their own decisions about whether to use 21st CCLC for (1) before school, after school, or summer learning programs and/or (2) A redesign of the school day or year that includes the creative integration of academic enrichment strategies that build on effective after school and summer learning approaches.
• Ensuring strong partnerships. Strong partnerships between schools and community partners will be required for every grantee regardless of model chosen as evidenced by: joint planning and implementation; shared professional development that improves teaching effectiveness of school site staff and community partner staff; shared student data systems that support program improvement and student learning; and alignment and coordination of student learning goals, curriculum, activities, and training;
• Supporting a comprehensive approach. Local communities will have the opportunity to support a comprehensive set of supports and services for children and their families that, in addition to academic achievement, promote mental and physical health and provide families and caregivers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education.
• Ensuring equal footing for LEAs and CBOs. Local education agencies (LEAs) and community based organizations (CBOs) are both eligible to apply as the lead applicants and fiscal agents;
• Improving accountability. A strengthened and improved accountability system will include a range of measures that are academic and developmental, and rely on more than one measure for determining program progress and success;
• Addressing the needs of high school students. States will have to plan for a fair distribution of grants between elementary, middle and high schools;
• Increasing the quality of programs and service delivery. Focus on continuous quality improvement and ensuring that programs meet the needs of individual students.
• Maintaining the state formula structure. The current infrastructure of formula grants to States and competitive grants from the State to local partnerships will be maintained;
• Local matching requirement. A reasonable local match will be required, that can be met by in-kind contributions and will be waived in cases of extreme poverty or need; ,
• Improved State technical assistance. States will receive strong guidance on the provision of technical assistance to schools, community partners and applicants for 21st CCLC funds, to ensure a needs-driven approach; and
• Allowing grant renewal. Grants are renewable if program is performing well under improved accountability system.

We support these policies because we believe they are critical to strengthening and improving the 21st CCLC.  We also believe that increased funding for the program is critical to ensuring high-quality implementation and better results for more children in need. Too many children do not have access to high-quality programs. Over 18 million parents[1] say they would enroll their child in an afterschool program if one were available to them. [2]

Once again, we greatly appreciate your leadership and look forward to working with you to adopt these policies that will strengthen the 21st CCLC program for students across the country.   Please contact Jennifer Peck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 510-830-4200 x1601, if you would like further information or to set up a meeting to continue the conversation.

Sincerely,

1 Afterschool Alliance. America After 3pm: Key Findings. Washington DC: Author.
2 Weissman, S.A., & Gottfredson, D.C. (2001). Attrition from after school programs: Characteristics of students who drop out. Prevention Science, 2, 201-205.