Honorable Betsy Brand
          Co-Director 
          American Youth Policy Forum 
          1836 Jefferson Place, N.W. 
          Washington, D.C. 20036

Dear Ms. Brand:

Thank you for your letter regarding high school reform and its place            in the President's education agenda. We appreciate your interest and            the concern shared by you and your colleagues. Thank you also for your            congratulatory note. I am honored to serve as Secretary of Education.

President Bush has made improving the quality of our Nation's elementary            and secondary schools his top priority. No Child Left Behind, the President's            framework for elementary and secondary education reform, would apply            proven strategies to strengthen Federal support for State and local            efforts to improve our schools. These strategies include high State            standards, annual testing of all students in grades three through eight            in reading and math, increased accountability for student performance,            reduced bureaucracy and greater flexibility for States, school districts,            and schools, and expanded options for parents to make choices for their            children's education.

The President's proposal for reform would support local efforts to            improve the quality of education that our Nation's secondary school            students receive. Among the President's proposals that specifically            would address secondary education are:

- Greater Flexibility in the Use of Federal Funds: The Administration's            fiscal year 2002 budget proposal would consolidate several duplicative            and overlapping programs into the Choice and Innovation State Grants            program, which would provide States and districts with the flexibility            to use Federal funds in a manner that best meets their needs without            having to apply for separate categorical grants. For example, a district            that desires Federal support to create smaller learning communities            in its large high schools and implement dropout prevention programs            currently has to apply for support under two separate categorical grant            programs. Under the Administration's proposal, a district would have            the flexibility to use its formula funds to create smaller learning            communities and carry out dropout prevention activities.
- Improving Teacher Quality: The President has proposed to consolidate            the current Class Size Reduction program along with other programs that            support professional development into a single State formula grant program            to support State and local efforts to improve the quality of instruction nationally. As 						a result, local districts would            be able to use funds that previously were targeted almost exclusively            on the early grades to provide professional development activities for            secondary school teachers.
- Creating Safe and Drug-Free Learning Environments: Recent violent         incidents in high schools and continuing high rates of drug use by secondary            school students have demonstrated the need for providing youth with            a safe and drug-free learning environment. The Administration's proposal            for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program would provide a greater proportion            of total funds that would flow to States (as compared to the 2001 funding            level for State Grants) under the President's proposal. These funds            will help ensure that children receive a high-quality education in a            safe and drug-free environment. In addition, the President would hold            States accountable for school safety by requiring States, as a condition            of receiving a performance-based grant for safe and drug-free schools,            to: (1) develop a definition for a "persistently dangerous school" and            to report on school safety on a school-by-school basis; (2) provide            victims of serious, school-based crimes and students trapped in persistently            dangerous schools the option to transfer to a safe alternative; and            (3) adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy that empowers teachers to remove            violent or persistently disruptive students from the classroom.

The President and I are concerned about the preparation and achievement            of all our Nation's students. As you suggest, my experience as a superintendent            of schools has made me very aware of the challenges faced in our secondary            schools and of the importance of the high school experience. The Administration's            proposal supports broad-based education reform with secondary schools            fully in mind. We look forward to working with you and the American            Youth Policy Forum. Together, we can close the achievement gap and ensure            that all students have an opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.            Thank you for your offer of support and for sharing your concerns.

Sincerely,

/s/

Rod Paige

|Last Modified: 09/15/2004
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