160.542. Research-based reform program--rules--grants.
Research-based reform program--rules--grants.
160.542. 1. There is hereby established within the department ofelementary and secondary education, the "Research-based Reform Program", tobe administered by the commissioner of education. The program shallconsist of grant awards made to public schools from funds appropriated bythe general assembly, demonstrating a commitment to undertake whole-schoolreforms that research has shown to be effective in improving studentperformance and sustaining measurable improvement after implementation.Grants shall require a matching contribution from the school district inwhich the school is located and shall run for up to three years. Fundingfor the second year shall be contingent upon each school's performance insetting up the chosen program, and funding for the third year shall becontingent upon second-year performance.
2. The state board of education shall promulgate rules for theinitial approval, second- and third-year funding of grants made under theprogram. The rules shall contain a method for determining the amount ofthe matching funds required from the district in which the grantee schoolis located. Such rules shall include a list of research-based reformprograms that the state board of education determines can be reliablyreplicated under urban, suburban and rural conditions. The list shall becoordinated with the federal Comprehensive School Reform Initiative toenable Missouri schools to be eligible for the moneys made available by thefederal program. The department shall develop a method to evaluate theeffectiveness of each school's implementation of the chosen research-basedprogram for purposes of granting or denying second-year funding.
3. The grant program shall provide sufficient technical assistance toensure that small schools that lack personnel with expertise in applyingfor grants are not prevented from applying. Added priority shall be givento schools which have been designated as academically deficient pursuant tosection 160.538. Added priority shall be given to groups of schools thatform consortia for the purpose of applying for the grant funds as a meansof encouraging schools in isolated areas to participate. However, nothingin this subsection shall be construed as prohibiting consortia in moredensely populated areas of the state from seeking such priority on grantsunder this program.
4. The commissioner of education shall develop a procedure forevaluating the effectiveness of the program described in this section.Such evaluation shall be conducted annually with the results of theevaluation provided to the governor, the speaker of the house ofrepresentatives and the president pro tempore of the senate.
5. No rule or portion of a rule promulgated pursuant to the authorityof this section shall become effective unless it has been promulgatedpursuant to the provisions of chapter 536, RSMo.
(L. 1998 S.B. 781)