ACCESS Supports Federal "Student Bill of Rights"

In September of 2002, Senator Christopher Dodd (Connecticut) and Representative Chaka Fattah (Philadelphia) introduced the Student Bill of Rights Act (S2912, HR236) in both houses of Congress. ACCESS supported this proposed legislation because it is intended to hold states accountable for providing all students with the educational resources needed to enable them to: meet their state's academic requirements; become participating citizens; and compete successfully in the global economy.

The Student Bill of Rights would compel states to ensure that all schools have the resources necessary to provide meaningful educational opportunities to their students and to comply with court decisions concerning educational adequacy. The required resources, termed "fundamentals of educational opportunity," include highly qualified teachers and principals, small class sizes, libraries and materials, appropriate curricula, technology, guidance counselors, and safe facilities. There is broad consensus that these educational resources have an enormous positive impact on achievement, especially for disadvantaged students.

Millions of low-income, rural, and urban schoolchildren across the country have been left behind by inadequate and inequitable school funding. As states announce their "schools in need of improvement" under the No Child Left Behind Act, it is incumbent on federal and state governments to determine what educational resources are missing from these schools and to provide those resources. "No Child Left Behind" requires schools to meet ambitious achievement goals for all students but does not provide the financial support to make these goals attainable for under-funded schools. The Student Bill of Rights can go a long way towards bridging the gap between the goals set for schools and their capacities to meet those requirements.