A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

    FOR RELEASE                               Contact:  Melinda Kitchell Malico     July 11, 1996                                       (202) 401-1576

North Dakota Receives 3rd Year Goals 2000 Funds

States that participate in Goals 2000 receive funds to help launch and sustain ongoing school improvement efforts to raise student achievement by setting higher standards, involving parents in schools, bringing technology into the classroom, upgrading teacher training, and building partnerships with business and community groups.

North Dakota is one of 19 states currently receiving third year Goals 2000 grants, just days after the law authorizes the release of funds. Under Goals 2000, states that have improvement plans automatically receive third, fourth and fifth year funding if appropriations are available.

These grants are being made from the fiscal year 1996 appropriation. President Clinton has requested $476 million for Goals 2000 for FY 97, which would provide approximately $1,765,253 for North Dakota. If appropriated, these funds would be available July 1, 1997. For 1997, the House Appropriations Committee has voted to cut the president's education budget request by $2.8 billion and eliminate all fourth-year funding for Goals 2000.

Riley said failing to provide funds would seriously undermine community and state efforts to implement improvements aimed at ensuring that students learn to high standards. "At a time when this initiative is supporting better education in more communities than ever before, the committee has tragically walked away from this critically important effort to raise academic performance in the major subjects," Riley said.

Goals 2000 provides resources for local and state education improvements, with flexibility in how states and communities choose to develop and implement their improvement efforts. Riley said the absence of regulations provides states with the latitude to effectively implement their locally designed school improvement initiatives. Schools and local school districts use Goals 2000 funds for a wide range of activities that reinforce their own approaches to helping all students learn the basics and the core subjects.

"Schools all over the country are benefitting from having more control in using federal funds to make their schools better," Riley said.

North Dakota's first and second year Goals 2000 grants totaled $1,747,428.

States receiving third year funding at this time under Goals 2000 are: Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

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