A group of Senators introduce legislation
aimed at reducing the need for students to
take remedial course work in college while
the House education committee advances two
desegregation bills on the eve of the 65th
anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education.
Hi, I’m Phillip Lovell and I’m joined
by Anne Hyslop.
Let’s begin with the Senate bill on remedial
coursework.
Anne?
Thanks Phillip.
Yesterday, Senators Doug Jones from Alabama,
Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, and Maggie Hassan
from New Hampshire introduced the Promoting
Readiness in Education to Prevent Additional
Remediation and Expense, or PREPARE, Act to
align high school with the expectations of
higher education.
The bill supports activities to improve high
school graduation requirements, expand access
to advanced coursework like dual enrollment
and early college high schools, strengthen
remedial education at the postsecondary level,
and more.
Remedial college courses, which focus on high
school-level material, cost the same as credit-bearing
courses, but do not count toward a student’s
degree.
As a result, remediation delays time to degree,
increases college costs, and rarely helps
students graduate.
More than one-third of all first-year college
students take some type of remedial coursework.
Even worse, among traditionally underserved
students like African American and Hispanic
students, the numbers are much higher.
In a statement supporting the bill, All4Ed
President Deb Delisle said “Remedial courses
are more likely to lead to disappointment
and debt than they are to degrees.
The PREPARE Act is an effective solution to
ending a practice that cuts short the dreams
of so many college students, especially those
who are historically underserved.”
In addition to All4Ed, the PREPARE Act is
endorsed by Education Reform Now Advocacy,
the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities,
National Association for College Admission
Counseling, National Association of Secondary
School Principals, National Urban League,
Third Way, and others.
On the other side of the Capitol, the House
Education Committee approved two bills aimed
at reducing racial segregation in schools.
The Strength in Diversity Act would promote
community efforts to integrate schools.
The second bill, the Equity and Inclusion
Enforcement Act, would restore a private right
of action to file disparate impact claims
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Essentially, the bill aims to provide students
with remedies for civil rights violations.
Education Committee chairman Bobby Scott championed
the legislation saying “The legacy of systemic
inequality and racial segregation continues
to deny millions of children the opportunity
to reach their full potential.
Instead of confronting this injustice, the
federal government has continually retreated
from its role in promoting school diversity,
erasing decades of progress toward educational
equity.
These two bills will help reverse that trend."
Despite objections from Republican members
of the Committee, the two bills were passed
on a party-line vote.
One last note.
Today is the 65th anniversary of the landmark
Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court
decision.
To commemorate the anniversary, we are launching
a year-long campaign to shine a light on the
continuing needs of students who, more than
6 decades after Brown, are still not receiving
the education they deserve.
Even after today’s anniversary is over,
we want to remember how Brown vs. Board provided
hope when hope was needed.
We also want to understand how that hope has
faded for so many students, especially those
facing the greatest challenges.
Join us over the next year as we explore issues
of equity and the unmet promise of Brown vs.
Board of Education
Visit all4ed.org/BrownvBoard to hear from
students, learn five important things about
Brown, and access classroom resources, news
articles, and research reports.
You can also share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #OurChallengeOurHope.
That’s all for today.
For an email alert when the next Federal Flash
is available, email us at Alliance@all4ed.org.
Thanks for watching.
