Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

_ 3280

HOUSE BILL NO.

INTRODUCED BY REP. JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution, Article 15, 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 standards 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 futures.

er

JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

9
HOUSE BILL NO. __ 8280

INTRODUCED BY REP. JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO

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 schools, particularly in urban and rural high schools
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 same 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 such strategies as creating smaller learning
environments, such as "schools within schools” and career academies
and providing students with counselors and mentors;

(2) provides all 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;

(3) 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
institutions of higher education;

(5) 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 research-based educational 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, including -


(a) covering material that students need to master in order to
pass mandated entrance exams; and

SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or
issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order,
rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with the provision of this
Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen

(15) days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,