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--- Wednesday --- May 28, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 4 ---
NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
__________ __________
RAISING STANDARDS | SPOTLIGHT |
The Florida House last month | |
passed a bill that would | YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE HEART |
require students to have at | |
least a "C" average and algebra | Emotional balance leads |
in order to graduate from high | to calmer students who can |
school (AP/ORLANDO SENTINEL, | "more effectively access |
3/21). According to the paper, | their own intelligence," |
current law requires only a 1.5 | writes Doc Lew Childre in |
grade-point-average to graduate | his book "A Parenting |
from Fla.'s high school. | Manual: Heart Hope for the |
However, 49 of the state's 67 | Family." His work resulted |
school districts have higher | in the creation of the |
standards: they require | HeartMath Institute, which |
students to possess a 2.0 to | has developed a curriculum |
graduate. | and teacher training to |
| clue students, especially |
BLUE RIBBON WINNERS | at-risk children, into |
U.S. Ed Sec Richard Riley | feelings of the heart. In |
yesterday announced the 262 | this way, students develop |
public and private elementary | strategies to counter |
school winners of the 1996-1997 | negative or hostile |
Blue Ribbon Schools award. | feelings that interfere |
Riley pointed out several | with schooling. (#5) |
criteria that the top-notch | |
schools share: high student | Another approach to |
retention and graduation rates; | engaging students in |
challenging standards and | intellectual achievement is |
curriculum; excellent teaching | the "Overcoming Obstacles" |
and an environment that | program, which targets |
strengthens teacher skills; | troubled youth and guides |
school-family-community | them through various life- |
partnerships; and high student | management and job- |
performance on measures of | readiness programs. (#1) |
achievement. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"We need more powerful teacher education. We need better
teachers."
David Imig, chief executive officer of the American Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education. (#4)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 202/632-0952 |
| The DRC hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION
"OVERCOMING OBSTACLES:" Program offers hope for students. (#1)
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Programs that work for poor youth. (#2)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
BEATING THE LOW-TEST SCORE BLUES: New approaches in La. (#3)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
"PROBLEMS, PROSPECTS, AND POLICY:" ASCD on teacher ed. (#4)
GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
HEAD-HEART: Program helps develop self-control and more. (#5)
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===== GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 "OVERCOMING OBSTACLES:" PROGRAM OFFERS HOPE FOR STUDENTS
The Community for Education Foundation sponsors the
"Overcoming Obstacles" program, which is designed to give
students facing harsh realities a second chance on school and
future achievement. Next month, the foundation will honor three
"Overcoming Obstacles" students who faced tough challenges and
eventually turned their lives around.
"Overcoming Obstacles" is a year-long course that is offered
in eleven cities nationwide, according to an "Overcoming
Obstacles" press release. The course teaches life-management and
job-readiness skills, using a framework that combines cooperative
learning and hands-on activities. For example, students learn
and practice skills including: critical thinking and decision-
making; conflict resolution; fiscal responsibility; effective
verbal and non-verbal communications; identification of
employment options; goal setting and goal achievement; interview
techniques; time management; and positive work ethic and career
advancement.
Students visit local business and community groups where
they are made aware of traditional and non-traditional career
opportunities, writes the release. The class also practices
their new skills by engaging in a community service project.
Internships and job-shadowing opportunities are available to
students who successfully complete the course.
According to the release, staff development seminars and
ongoing support help participating teachers and schools implement
the program effectively.
Students who will be honored as National Student Award
Winners are: Tiffany Kehoe, Bronx, New York; Wesley Bailey,
Indianapolis, Ind.; Deadrian Leonard, Atlanta, Ga.; and Angelica
Rivera, Los Angeles, Calif.
Achievement Awards will be presented to: Joe Torre, manager
of the World Champion New York Yankees; Reggie White, defense end
for the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers; Dr. Rudolph Crew,
chancellor of the New York City Public Schools; and John Chalsty,
chairman and CEO, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc.
For more information, contact Jill Siegal; Overcoming
Obstacles; The Community for Education Foundation; 900 3rd
Avenue; Suite 270; New York, N.Y. 10022; 212/702-9135; 212/702-
0976; e-mail: trioops@aol.com
*2 MAKING A DIFFERENCE: PROGRAMS THAT WORK FOR POOR YOUTH
A new report released by the American Youth Policy Forum
provides summaries of 49 foundation and government programs in
the youth development, mentoring, employment and training and
education areas. Programs featured in the publication, "Some
Things DO Make a Difference for Youth: A Compendium of
Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices," were selected by a
"distinguished roster of academic researchers, professional
evaluators and youth practitioners," according to the report's
"Editor's Note."
The "NEGP Weekly" will feature several programs noted in the
compendium during the next several weeks. These programs include
school-based projects, out-of-school programs, programs run by
community organizations and programs designed to increase a
student's chance of entering a postsecondary institution.
The School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program (SDDAP)
is a U.S. DoEd program that was evaluated by the American
Institutes for Research (Palo Alto, Calif.) AIR evaluated 16 of
the 89 projects that fall under the program: 21 projects serve
students in K-8 only; 14 serve students in grades 9-12 and the
remainder enroll both elementary and secondary students.
Programs were located in urban and rural areas and small towns.
According to the report, "findings from the three-year,
intensive examination were mixed." Three high school projects
were noted as top-notch: Des Monies, Iowa; Coleman, Texas and
Memphis, Tenn. Positive outcomes include: a lower dropout rate
in all programs; higher grades in Des Monies and Coleman; fewer
absences in Memphis; a perception of more caring teachers and
fairer discipline (Coleman), more frequent contact with
counselors (Memphis); and more "ambitious plans for high school
completion in Memphis, writes the report.
However, middle school results were mixed. For example, a
program at Denver-Lake, Colo., initially boasted fewer absences,
suspensions and a perception of more caring teachers and fairer
discipline. Yet, subsequent years showed no improvement.
AIR also noted several components found in most of the 89
projects: most operated through the local school district and
offered services within school or alternative settings; the most
frequent project goals were improving academic performance and
increasing attendance; most programs offered academic skills
instruction and counseling; many offered "supplemental" services
including vocational/career counseling.
Other findings: "The most successful projects incorporated
some type of external incentive. For elementary school children,
it was help in their homework; for middle school students, it was
access to counseling; and for high school students, it was access
to paid work"; programs offering a greater number of services
produced the most positive results; the most successful programs
had teachers, backed by administrators, who are experienced and
interested in working with at-risk youth; and programs that
"initiated a large-scale reorganization or restructuring of the
school or service environment -- a complex process, requiring a
great deal of time -- were less likely to see short-term gains
for students in the three years of the study," notes the report.
The American Institutes for Research is located at; P.O. Box
1113; Palo Alto, Calif. 94302; 415/493-3550; 415/858-0958.
Funding and monitoring information is available from the
Office of The Under Secretary and Evaluation Services; U.S. DoEd;
600 Independence Avenue SW; Room 4168; Federal Building 10;
Washington, D.C. 20202; 201/401-1026.
Copies of "Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth: A
Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices." is
available from the American Youth Policy Forum; Suite 719; 1001
Connecticut Ave. NW; Washington, D.C. 20036; The report must be
prepaid and costs $10.00, including postage. Bulk discounts are
available.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*3 BEATING THE LOW-TEST SCORE BLUES: NEW APPROACHES IN LA
Jefferson County, La., public elementary school students
posted scores lower than the state average on the Louisiana
Educational Assessment Program exams (Vaishinav, New Orleans
TIMES PICAYUNE, 5/22). An annual report issued by the state
called "Progress Profile" found that in school year 1995-1996,
82% of Jefferson County Parish third-graders passed the math
portion of the exam; but their collective score was 7 points
below the state average. Eighty-four percent passed the language
arts section, compared to 90% statewide.
Other findings from the report: 82% of parish fifth-grades
passed the math exam, 7 points below the state average; 81% of
parish fifth-graders passed the language arts section, 6 points
below the state average; about 23% of the elementary schools have
classes of 27 students or more, compared with a state average of
17% for this grade; and fourth graders' median score on the
California Achievement Test has improved but remains below state
and national averages, reports the paper.
The paper notes that the "1995-1996 Progress Profile" was
the first report to include the results of special education
students, which could explain lower scores reported statewide.
Superintendent Elton Lagasse called for the creation of more
early-childhood education programs as one remedy for low-test
scores. "If we are going to solve the problems of public
education, we've got to have them at 3 years of age," he said.
"We're getting more kids who don't have high English proficiency.
But we're still testing those kids."
Other educators point to a correlation between parental
incomes and the test scores of their children. According to the
paper, "the correlation is especially acute at the elementary
level, when factors such as healthy breakfasts and parents who
have time to read to their children can affect academic
performance."
However, other educators express concern over placing too
much emphasis on parental incomes. "There is a relationship, but
it's not a causal relation," said Peggy Kirby, a U of New Orleans
education professor who has worked with Jefferson and St. Bernard
parish public schools. "What you don't do is compare schools
with the highest socio-economic status to schools with the lowest
socio-economic status. When you do that, you mask any difference
the school can make."
One strategy for improving test scores was employed by the
G.T. Woods Elementary School, writes the paper. The school
participated in an initiative with the goal of moving its lowest-
ranking students up to the next level, rather than trying to push
them to the top too fast. According to the paper, "the strategy
worked," with a doubling of Wood's median CAT scores. The number
of lowest-ranking students also declined by half. For the first
time in three years, students reached the top percentile, reports
the paper.
Another strategy tapped by McDonogh No. 26 Elementary School
in Gretna, is holding a pep rally to "emphasize the tests'
importance," notes the paper. School officials also distributed
practice worksheets and LEAP information to parents.
Rudolph Matas Elementary School brought in a new curriculum,
"Eat Your Way Through Math," which uses Skittles, M&Ms and Red
Hots to teach fractions and basic computation. Matas' students
fared well on the LEAP: 100% of third-graders passed the state
standardized math tests in 1996, and 90% of the school's third-
and fifth-graders passed both the math and language arts section
for the past six years.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*4 "PROBLEMS, PROSPECTS, AND POLICY:" ASCD ON TEACHER ED
In an INFO BRIEF, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development tackles the challenges of educating teachers at a
pre-service and in-service level (Halford, ASCD INFO BRIEF, June
1997). The consensus that emerges from the BRIEF is best
described by David Imig, chief executive officer of the American
Association of Colleges for Teacher Education: "We need more
powerful teacher education. We need better teachers."
An anticipated teacher shortage coupled with the "importance
of quality teaching to student success" are problems that loom
large for policymakers and educators, according to the BRIEF.
"The more attention we pay to quality, the less serious any
shortage will be," comments Arthur Wise, president of the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Yet,
some policymakers are traveling down the wrong road; choosing to
dismantle state requirements for formal teacher preparation,
notes the BRIEF.
ASCD argues against certain alternative certification
policies. The BRIEF lists three categories of alternative
teacher licensure: "emergency licenses, often granted
temporarily to individuals with little or no preparation for the
classroom; alternative certification programs, which offer an
intensive period of pre-service preparation that may fall short
of complete teacher education; and comprehensive teacher
preparation programs for 'nontraditional' students."
Emergency or automatic teacher licensure is a bane to high-
quality teacher preparation, according to ASCD. "Automatic
certification makes a mockery of the state licensure process,
because by granting a license, the state is supposed to be
recognizing that an individual has been adequately prepared to
teach," said Wise.
The BRIEF argues that the efforts of Teach for America, a
"high-profile" alternative program, also fall short. Linda
Darling-Hammond, chair of the National Commission on Teaching and
America's Future and professor of education at Teacher's College,
Columbia U is quoted: "It is clear from the evidence that TFA is
bad policy and bad education. It is bad for the recruits because
they are ill-prepared. They are denied the knowledge and skills
they need, and many who might have become good teaches are
instead discouraged from staying in the profession. It is bad
for the schools in which they teach, because the recruits often
create staffing disruptions and drains on school resources. ...
It is bad for the children, because they are often poorly
taught."
ASCD promotes "nontraditional" options to prepare
professionals who want to move from their first career to one in
teaching. These programs tend to be comprehensive, including
pedagogical preparation, subject preparation and supervised
classroom experience, writes the BRIEF.
The BRIEF goes on to discuss two "large-scale" teacher
preparation developments: the Interstate New Teacher Assessment
and Support Consortium and the Praxis III: Classroom Performance
Assessments, developed by the Educational Testing Service. Libby
Hall, an associate professor in the Department of Teacher
Preparation and Special Education at The George Washington U,
commented that "These assessment will enable us to speak the same
language."
Issues such as creating standards for teacher preparation
programs and who decides the content of teacher education
programs also are discussed in the BRIEF.
The BRIEF enumerates several new approaches to teacher
preparation including professional development schools and
"centers of pedagogy." In conclusion, the BRIEF urges
policymakers not to "avoid taking action to strengthen teacher
education, for it is only through highly effective educators that
the potentialities of schools -- and children -- will become
realities."
For more information on the National Commission on Teaching
& America's Future, visit their web site at:
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~teachcomm
ASCD's INFO BRIEFS are published four times per year, with
an annual subscription rate of $12.50. Single copies are
available for $4.50 each. For information on ordering, call the
ASCD Service Center at 800/933-2723.
===== GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS =====
*5 HEAD-HEART: PROGRAM HELPS DEVELOP SELF-CONTROL AND MORE
A pilot program underway at Palm Springs Middle School in
Hialeah, Fla., is teaching at-risk youth techniques to calm their
spirits and increase their ability to learn. The "Heart Smarts"
program, designed by the Institute of HeartMath (Boulder Creek,
Calif.), uses games and strategies such as "Freeze-Frame" to help
students tap into positive feelings of the heart to redefine a
potentially upsetting situation.
Children participating in a "Freeze-Frame" session are first
taught to "recognize a stressful feeling/experience and take a
'time out' -- "Freeze-Frame" the feeling," according to material
from the Institute of HeartMath. Students then are encouraged to
"shift the attention from the racing mind or disturbed emotions
to the area around the heart," writes the material. Next, they
are asked to think about a "warm, pleasant, fun feeling," which
leads to tapping "heart intelligence" to find a better response
to the original situation.
For example, one child drew a picture with the caption
"Person calling me names." In the next segment, the child drew a
picture titled "My Birthday," which activated positive feelings.
The final picture was of the child walking away from the person
calling him names: The caption read -- "I can walk away and
ignore him."
"By shifting the focus of attention from the mind to the
heart, you balance your perspective and don't squander your
energy on people and events you can't control," explained Amelia
Moreno, a Los Angeles public school counselor. "It is a simple,
practical self-discipline, and quite spiritual," she added. The
Los Angeles public school system's migrant education division has
been using HeartMath for four years, writes the L.A. TIMES
(Clary, 5/16).
Other school districts engaged in HeartMath programs include
the Creighton School District (Phoenix, Ariz.), DeKalb County
School System (Ga.), and the New Horizons Elementary School in
Fremont, Calif. According to HeartMath, the program also has
been used by some Fortune 500 Companies and was presented at the
recent White House Conference on Early Childhood Development
Learning.
The "Heart Smarts" program is based on the Institute's
published research and three HeartMath books: "Teaching Children
to Love: 80 Games and Fun Activities for Raising Balanced
Children; "The How To Book Of TEEN Self Discovery," and "A
Parenting Manual: Heart Hope for the Family," all by Doc Lew
Children. "Teen Self Discovery is an approved textbook in Calif.
At the Palm Springs Middle School, 34 seventh-grade students
participated in the pilot program with pre- and post-testing in
19 scales measuring attitude, behavior, achievement and
interpersonal skills. According to material from the school, the
students, who initially demonstrated risky behavior, depression
and lack of motivation, showed dramatic improvement in 18 of the
19 scales after 16 hours of training in coping methods.
Parents of students in the pilot program also were
encouraged to participate in training sessions. Over half of the
students brought one or more family members to a training
workshop. While a pre-test found that only 40% of students
tested said they had adequate family support, the percent of
students stating they had adequate family support jumped to 72%
after student and parent training in "Heart Smarts" techniques.
Middle school students who participated in the program then
were asked to help train students in a neighboring elementary
school. Eighteen students were trained to teach 55 elementary
at-risk students. Plans are underway to expand the cross-age
program to 70 mentors and add another feeder school by next year.
From the introduction to "Teaching Children to Love:"
"Research shows that the moment we are 'upset' emotionally, all
neural action, learning, memory, cognition, problem solving, and
so on, is adversely affected. Simply put, in a state of anxiety,
anger or fear, the brain cannot make an appropriate response. ...
Developing emotional intelligence, or teaching children to love,
is critical to plain survival as well as creative intelligence."
Several books are cited in "Teaching Children to Love" that
serve as resources, including: "Descarte's Error: Emotion,
Reason, and the Brain," by Antonio R. Damasio; "Emotional
Intelligence," by Daniel Goleman; "Frames of Mind," by Howard
Gardner, and "Peak Learning," by Ronald Gross.
For more information on HeartMath seminars and teacher
certification or any of the publications produced by HeartMath
contact: The Institute of HeartMath; P.O. Box 1463; 14700 West
park Avenue; Boulder Creek; Calif. 95006; 800/450-9111; Web
site: http://www.heartmath.org
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
* GOAL 1: READY TO LEARN
All children in America will start school ready to learn.
* GOAL 2: SCHOOL COMPLETION
The high school graduation rate will increase to at least
percent.
* GOAL 3: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
All students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having
demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including
English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and
government, economics, arts, history, and geography, and every
school in America will ensure that all students earn to use their
minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship,
further learning, and productive employment in our Nation' modern
economy.
* GOAL 4: TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Nation's teaching force will have access to programs for
the continued improvement of their professional skills and the
opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to
instruct and prepare all American students for the next century.
* GOAL 5: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
United States students will be first in the world in
mathematics and science achievement.
* GOAL 6: ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Every adult American will be literate and will possess the
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
* GOAL 7: SAFE, DISCIPLINED, & ALCOHOL- AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
Every school in the United States will be free of drugs,
violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol
and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
* GOAL 8: PARENTAL PARTICIPATION
Every school will promote partnerships that will increase
parental involvement and participation in promoting the social,
emotional, and academic growth of children.
_______________________________________________________________
| National Education Goals Panel |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Suite 502; Washington, D.C. 20037 |
| 202/632-0957 (Fax); e-mail: negp@goalline.org |
| Web site: www.negp.gov |
|_______________________________________________________________|
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org