TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and 
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 15, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution 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. 
And with the enactment of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, or the K-to-12 
Act, which establishes a “universal kindergarten” and introduces Grades 11 and 12 to high 
school education in public and private schools, a stronger secondary high school program 
becomes all the more important. The K to 12 Program aims to provide sufficient time for 
mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary 
education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. 
Students will have to complete the extra education to qualify for university. 
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.
In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly requested. 
 RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ 
  MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR. 
July 21, 2025
2:51 pm
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TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session  
 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and 
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. 
House Bill No.  _____ 
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
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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 
b) 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 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 - 
(1) The Secretary may select a random sample of schools to participate in an incentive-
based experiment, under which the Secretary makes incentive payments to teachers and 
administrators in the grantee schools if, after three (3) years of program participation, their 
students demonstrate significant gains in student educational outcomes. 
(2) The Secretary may - 
(a) recognize high schools and high school reforms that show outstanding 
results; 
(b) disseminate information on those schools and reforms; 
(c) carry out other activities to encourage the spread and adoption of successful 
high school reform strategies; 
(d) facilitate the creation of networks among participating schools and local 
educational agencies, which may include schools and local educational agencies 
interested in meeting the purpose of this part; and  
(e) pay the costs of the peer review of applications under this part. 
 


(3) The Secretary may reserve funds to evaluate activities carried out under this  Act. 
 
SEC 6. Funding. - For the purpose of carrying out this Act, the appropriation of such amount 
as may be necessary is hereby authorized. 
 
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 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,