The Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program, begun in 1998, is helping raise student achievement by assisting public schools across the country to implement effective, comprehensive school reforms that are based on reliable research and effective practices, and that include an emphasis on basic academics and parental involvement.

In establishing the program, Congress and President Clinton recognized the potential for the wider use of proven, research-based models for comprehensive school reform. Building upon and leveraging ongoing efforts to connect higher standards with school improvement at the State and local level through Title I and other major reform initiatives, this program will help expand the quality and quantity of school wide reform efforts that enable all children, particularly low-achieving children, to meet challenging academic standards.

A Strong Focus on Approaches that Strengthen the Entire School.

The Comprehensive School Reform program is intended to foster coherent school wide improvements that cover virtually all aspects of a school's operations, rather than piecemeal, fragmented approaches to reform.

States are providing competitive grants to school districts on behalf of specific schools that are ready to adopt comprehensive reforms to help students reach high standards. To qualify for funding, schools must thoughtfully integrate key components described in the legislation such as curriculum and instruction, student assessment, teacher professional development, parent involvement, and school management and utilize high-quality assistance from outside partners experienced in school wide reform. The legislation calls for each participating school to receive at least US$ 50,000 of CSRD funds a year, renewable for up to three years.

Choosing Reforms Based on Research-Based Evidence of Effectiveness.

A key feature of the program is that it encourages schools to examine successful, externally developed models for inclusion in their comprehensive school reform efforts -- models that have well-researched and well-documented designs for school wide change, and that have been replicated with proven results. However, locally developed programs that integrate, in a coherent manner, the components of a school wide program and that have research-based evidence of effectiveness are also eligible for support under CSRD.

Ultimately, the program is designed to support schools undertaking comprehensive reforms that show the most promise for successful implementation and helping students reach high standards.

Targeting Schools that Need to Substantially Raise Student Achievement.

The Focus of the CSRD program is school wide change in schools, particularly Title I schools, where there is the greatest need to substantially improve student achievement.

The legislation encourages states to use CSRD Title I program funds to support improvement efforts in schools that have been identified, on the basis of the low student achievement, for improvement under Title I. In addition, in determining which local proposals to support, states may take into account other indicators of need, such as schools with high dropout rates, or schools that feed into such schools. States are also encouraged to give priority to school districts in various parts of the state, including urban and rural communities, and that serve schools at a variety of grade levels.

Initial Start-Up Funding to Support Long-Term Improvement Efforts.

Comprehensive School Reform funds are not intended to support separate projects that are "added on" to existing programs or projects in a school. Rather, the program helps schools improve their entire educational operation, through, for example, curriculum changes, sustained professional development, and enhanced involvement of parents, based on a careful identification of local needs.

CSRD funds help finance the initial implementation of comprehensive reforms that are coordinated with and sustained by all the resources available to the school including federal, State, local and private resources. The program can help bring together Title I school wide funds and School-to-Work Opportunities funds, for example, to support an integrated strategy to enable all children in a school to reach challenging academic standards including children from low-income families, children with limited English proficiency, and children with disabilities.

Funding Levels and Timing.

For Fiscal Year1998, Congress appropriated $120 million to support comprehensive reforms in school eligible for Title I funds. An additional $25 million was available to all public schools, including those eligible for Title I. Funds became available to states on July 1, 1998, and will remain available for obligation by states and school districts through September 30, 2000. As of June 30, 1999, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have been awarded $145 million in first year funding. In July 1999, $145 million in second year CSRD funding for FY99 has also been awarded. Third year CSRD funding for FY2000 will be available July 1, 2000.

Help in Identifying What Works and Putting Successful Approaches into Practice.

To further assist states, districts, and schools, Congress appropriated $5 million to support dissemination of information on the selection and implementation of effective comprehensive reform programs, including $4 million for the Regional Education Laboratories.