I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1893
To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study of the relative
value of General Equivalency Diplomas and a review of policies and
procedures to determine how the Department of Education can better
serve the Nation’s educational needs, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 17, 2001
Mrs. CLAYTON (for herself and Ms. CARSON of Indiana) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study
of the relative value of General Equivalency Diplomas
and a review of policies and procedures to determine
how the Department of Education can better serve the
Nation’s educational needs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘General Equivalency
Diploma Reform and Improvement Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Since the mid-1970s, the Federal Govern-
ment and many State and local agencies have en-
couraged Americans to seek a General Equivalency
Diploma (GED) rather than a traditional high
school degree.
(2) As the economy now demands higher skilled
workers, the General Equivalency Diploma is no
longer an adequate alternative to a traditional high
school degree.
(3) Economists Stephen Cameron and James
Heckman have studied individuals with exam-cer-
tified high school equivalents and have made each of
the following conclusions:
(A) Individuals with exam-certified high
school equivalents are statistically indistinguish-
able in the labor market from high school drop-
outs.
(B) Individuals with exam-certified equiva-
lents and high school dropouts have comparably
poor wages, earnings, hours of work, employ-
ment experiences, and job tenure.
(C) Measured by their ability and in their
labor market status, individuals who have a
General Equivalency Diploma are closer to high
school dropouts than individuals with tradi-
tional high school degrees.
(D) Even after controlling for ability, men
with General Equivalency Diplomas have infe-
rior labor market status than individuals with
traditional high school degrees.
(E) Individuals with General Equivalency
Diplomas have lower employment rates and less
work experience than individuals with tradi-
tional high school degrees.
(F) Both anecdotal and empirical evidence
suggests that employers and the military dis-
count the General Equivalency Diploma.
(G) There is no cheap substitute for class-
room instruction and education programs that
focus on obtaining a General Equivalency Di-
ploma as an end in itself are misguided.
(4) Although the rates of teenage pregnancy
and early childbearing in the United States have de-
creased somewhat recently, approximately 3,941,553
adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 17 gave
birth in 1999, and the number of births for 2000
has yet to be determined.
(5) While, as a Nation, we should continue to
make efforts to prevent unintended pregnancies, we
must also provide pregnant teenagers and young
mothers with educational opportunities to help them
become productive citizens and good, caring parents.
(6) No Americans, including pregnant teen-
agers, young mothers, and young fathers, should be
provided with a second-rate, inferior education.
SEC. 3. STUDY AND REVIEW OF POLICIES.
(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education
shall—
(1) conduct a study to review the value of a
General Equivalency Diploma (GED) relative to a
traditional high school degree; and
(2) review the policies and procedures of the
Department of Education to determine means by
which the Department can reform such policies and
procedures to allow the Department—
(A) to cooperate with other Federal agen-
cies to improve the educational opportunities of-
fered to all Americans, including pregnant teen-
agers and young mothers;
(B) to work with States and local edu-
cational agencies to promote high quality edu-
cation for all Americans, including pregnant
teenagers and young mothers;