Oversight Hearing On Migrant Education Programs

Considers H.R. 9872 and identical H.R. 10378, to provide Federal payments to states to improve educational opportunities for children of migrant agricultural employees.

A House of Representatives committee received testimony on programs for migrant children and for neglected and delinquent youth in the context of reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I, Parts C and D, respectively. The director of the U.S. Office of Migrant Education explained changes in the reauthorization, including changes in funding formulas for state migrant programs, provisions covering interstate transfer of student records, and incentives for state consortia. A college student spoke of his experiences with the Migrant Education Program and related programs. Representatives of state programs and national migrant organizations discussed a home-based family literacy program in Pennsylvania; changes to federal legislation; Kentucky efforts to hold delinquent students in state programs to high standards and provide transition services after their release; and migrant education issues related to parent participation, data collection, records transfer, language of instruction, and interstate coordination. Appendices contain written statements, including a report by the Office of Migrant Education on what the Migrant Education Program does, its current status, recent innovations such as technology use, and proposed reauthorization changes; "A Comprehensive Plan for the Education of America's Migrant Children," prepared by three national migrant organizations; and "The Value of Migrant Education" (fact sheets and recommendations), by the Interstate Migrant Education Council. (SV)