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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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S E N A T E  
I!ECE?VED vi*: 
Senate Bill No. 542 
” 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
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. 
to provide relevant and quality education. 
to provide students with effective schools that - 
Unfortunately, most high school institutions in the country are ill-equipped 
Hence, this bill seeks to structure reforms in secondary education in order 
(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. 
c__J 
Senator 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
1 
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 
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,