U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the award of two grants totaling almost $3 million to the Education Commission of the States (ECS) for projects to help state education leaders create accountability systems and execute new federal initiatives.

The first project, which received $1.7 million from the department, will help state leaders implement and integrate federal and state policy initiatives dealing mainly with reading skills and accountability for improved student performance. The project is expected to help states implement the new programs in response to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which Congress is expected to finalize shortly.

"The reforms under way will require fundamental changes in the culture of education across the country. We’re pleased to have the Education Commission of the States working with us to help states prepare for the important changes ahead," Paige said. "This project will help state leaders set their education reform policies in ways that enable all students to improve their achievement."

In this project, ECS will work with five other organizations ¾ the National Governor’s Association, the Education Leaders Council, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Association of State Boards of Education, and the National Conference of State Legislatures ¾ to:

• build an information base of states’ needs and help them respond to the policy changes in ESEA reforms;
• provide policy options and information on issues related to reading instruction and accountability; and
• support state policymakers and education leaders through specific technical assistance strategies in creating coherent, aligned education policy that enhances student achievement.

ECS also received $1.275 million for the National Center on Education Accountability, a joint project with Just for the Kids and the University of Texas. The center will develop school performance information systems in several states, utilizing the power of the Internet

Specifically, the grant will help ECS and the center to:

• promote accountability in American education by gathering and disseminating information that demonstrates the effectiveness of results-based accountability systems;
• expand the Just for the Kids data-reporting model to three more states and help state leaders develop their capacity to use longitudinal student performance data;
• develop interactive Web-based tools to support the design and implementation of accountability systems; and
• support the development of strategies and psychometrics for calculating annual yearly progress.

The grants came from the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE), under the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. FIE supports activities that stimulate reform and improve teaching and learning.