How Local School District Funding Practices Hurt Disadvantaged Students and What Federal Policy Can Do About It

Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 9:00am to 3:00pm
Center for American Progress, Washington, DC

Welcome and Introduction:
John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress

Opening Address:
Congressman Xavier Becerra, (D-CA)

Panel I: Overview and History of the Comparability Provision

Discussants:
Phyllis McClure, Consultant and long-time Title I historian
Marguerite Roza, Research Associate Professor, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
Ross Wiener, Vice President, Education Trust

Moderated By:
Cynthia Brown, Director of Education Policy, Center for American Progress

Panel II: Closing the Comparability Loophole: Potential and Pitfalls

Discussants:
F. Howard Nelson, Lead Researcher, Office of the President, American Federation of Teachers
Marguerite Roza, Research Associate Professor, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington
Kate Walsh, President, National Council on Teacher Quality

Moderated By:
Delia Pompa, Vice President, Education, National Council of La Raza

Panel III: How to Do it Right: Resources and Assistance for States and Districts

Discussants:
Matt Hill, Executive Officer of Strategic Projects, Oakland Unified School District
Susan Sclafani, Managing Director, Chartwell Education Group
Warren Simmons, Executive Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform

Moderated By:
Robert Gordon, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress (formerly of New York City Public Schools

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was intended to provide additional spending for states and school districts to meet the needs of low-income children. But the intent hasn’t always been met. A comparability provision—intended to ensure that federal funds are added to an already-level playing field of state and local funding for schools—has been ineffective and enforced inconsistently. Join us for a conference that will explore these issues and focus on ways to improve comparability requirements to ensure equitable spending practices within school districts. We will also consider how these changes can be enforced and implemented, and what technical assistance is needed to spur fairer spending practices that result in improvements in instruction for students in high-poverty schools.