, . 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE pHilippiNES 
) 
,SeruLfr 
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First Regular Session 
) 
'13 JUl15 P6 :21 
SENATE 
Senate BmNo. 771 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1 provides: 
"The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to 
quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to 
make such education accessible to all." 
Recent studies have shown that the quality and rigor of the secondary 
school program of study is the most effective predictor of success in post 
secondary education. 
Unfortunately, most high school institutions in the country are ill-equipped 
to provide relevant and quality education. 
Hence, this bill seeks to structure reforms in secondary education in order 
to provide students with effective schools that -
(a) have high academic and behavioral standards for their students; 
(b) clearly communicate st:lndards and provide stUdents with the 
necessary support and opportunities to meet those standards; 
(c) connect stUdents to adults in meaningful ways; 
(d) connect students to possible futures in college and the workforce; and, 
(e) provide families with useful information about how their children are 
doing and about their future. 
GOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
Senator 


• • 
.' 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 7 71 
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JUL 15 P 6 :22 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
INTRODUCING 
EDUCATIONAL 
REFORMS 
AND 
SUPPORTING 
THE 
PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN 
SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title, - This Act shall be known as the "High-School 
Reform Act". 
SEC. 2. Purposes. -The purposes of this Act are to -
1) 
support the planning and implementation of educational reforms in 
high sehools, partieularly in urean and rural high sehools that educate 
students from low-income families, in order to help students at risk of 
failing to meet challenging standards, by strengthening curriculum 
and instruction, offering extended learning opportunities and 
providing professional development opportunities to school staff; 
2) 
support the further development of educational reforms, designed 
specifically for high schools, that -
(a) help students meet challenging standards; and, 
(b) increase connections between students and adults and provide 
safe learning environments. 
3) 
create positive incentives for serious change in high schools, by 
offering rewards to participating schools that achieve significant 
improvements in student achievement; and, 
4) 
increase the national knowledge base on effective high school 
reforms 
by 
identifying 
the 
most effective approaches 
and 
disseminating information on those approaches so that they can be 
adopted nationally. 
SEC. 3. Comprehensive Reforms Program. 
~ The Secretary of 
Education, hereinafter referred to as the Secretary through the use of 
appropriated funds, shall develop and innovate a comprehensive reforms 
program to be applied to all secondary schools nationwide, that shall critically 


, 
assess and evaluate existing curricula, programs and activities, ensuring that the 
§~me are in conformity with the principles and components provided in Section 4, 
SEC. 4. Principles and Components of Educational Reforms -
(a) Principles. - Each high school, through the supervision of the 
Secretary, shall ensure that the reforms to be adopted are designed 
so that each assisted high school -
(1) 
is a place where students receive individual attention and 
support, through sll(lh strategies as creating ~maner learning 
environments, such as "schools within schools" and career 
academies and providing students with counselors and 
mentors; 
(2) 
provides 
aU 
students 
in 
the school with 
challenging 
coursework, aligned with content and performance standards, 
through such strategies as the use of technology to enhance 
academic instruction and the establishment or expansion of 
international baccalaureate programs or advanced placement 
programs; 
(9) 
is a place where students are motivated to learn, through such 
strategies as applied learning and linking the arts, music and 
cultural opportunities with the school, both during and after the 
normal school day; 
(4) 
enables students to receive an education that is continuous 
and integrated, through such strategies as partnerships with 
I 
institutions of higher education; 
(6) helps students achieve their educational and career goals, 
through such strategies as integrated academic and vocational 
instruction that connects students with career opportunities; 
and, 
(6) 
functions as a center for the community, through such 
strategies as increasing the involvement of parents, employers 
and others in the community. 
(b) 
Required Components. - In order to institutionalize the principles 
described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Education shall 
appropriate funds to implement feseafctH>ased educationaf reform 
strategies for eventual implementation throughout the entire school 
that -
(1) 
in the case of a school with a school wide program, build on 
and improve the school wide reform program; 
(2) 
address the needs of students who are at risk of failing to be 
promoted to the next grade or to graduate; 
i. covering material that students need to master in order to 
pass mandated entrance exams. 


· 
' 
ii. strengthening curriculum, instruction, and assessments 
and by offering extended learning opportunities such as 
after school, weekend, and summer programs; 
(3) 
make full and effective use of the resources that the school 
receives under other programs of the department; 
(4) 
make use of outside experts in high school reform, unless it 
I 
can be shown to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that the 
school's reform strategy can be implemented effectively 
without outside assistance; 
(5) 
include professional development of school staff, including 
development of the skills needed to use student achievement 
and other outcome data to refine and improve the educational 
reform strategy; and 
(6) 
provide for collecting data on, and evaluating, the reforms and 
for reporting to the Secretary on the results of those 
evaluations. 
SEC. 5. Additional Activities. -
(a) The Secretary may select a random sample of schools to participate in 
an incentive-based experiment,. under which the Secretary makes 
inoentive payments to teaohers and administrators in the grantee 
schools if, after three (3) years of program participation, their students 
demonstrate significant gains in student educational outcomes. 
(b) The Secretary may-
(1) recognize high schools and high school reforms that show 
outstanding results; 
(2) disseminate information on those schools and reforms; 
(3) carry out other activities to encourage the spread and adoption of 
successful high school reform strategies; 
(4) facilitate the creation of networks among participating schools and 
Igcal educational agemlies, which may include Schools and local 
educational agencies interested in meeting the purpose of this part; 
and, 
(5) pay the costs of the peer review of applications under this part. 
(c) The Secretary may reserve funds to evaluate activities carried out 
Ynder this Act 
SEC. 6. Funding. - For the' purpose of carrying out this Act, there are 
I 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary. 
SEC. 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 


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contrary to or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified or amended accQrdingly. 
SEC. 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers gf general GirGl;llati9r]; 
Approved,