The National Education Goals Panel
--- Wednesday --- July 16, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 11 ---
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
The Update on America's National Education Goals
__________ __________
DEFINING TERMS | SPOTLIGHT |
The jargon of education is | |
clearly defined in a new | THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG |
guidebook issued by the | |
Association for Supervision and | Chronic truancy is |
Curriculum Development. | debilitating -- for |
In "The Language of | students and for schools. |
Learning," authors McBriend and | Several Conn. school |
Brandt define terms from | districts are waging a war |
ability grouping to year-round | against truancy by hiring |
schooling. It is primarily a | truant officers and dropout |
dictionary of education terms, | prevention workers. New |
"clearly defined, cross- | Haven also initiated a |
referenced and indexed," writes | "truancy court," where a |
an ASCD press release. | Superior Court judge |
McBrien: "Parents and other | presides over chronic |
citizens cannot form | truancy cases. |
intelligent opinions about | |
school reform if they don't | Some educators point out |
understand what is being | that chronic truancy is but |
discussed." | the tip of the iceberg. |
The book is available for | Below the surface are |
$13.95 (nonmembers) and $11.95 | problems of poverty, |
(members) by calling ASCD at | homelessness and lack of |
800/933-2723 OR 703/549-9110. | parental control. (#1) |
Stock No.: 197155 | |
| A new report issued by |
THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE | The Federal Interagency |
For a counter to the rush to | Forum on Child and Family |
computerize American | Statistics provides a peek |
classrooms, read "The Computer | at some of those problems, |
Delusion," by Todd Oppenheimer | using 25 indicators |
in THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY, July | denoting the well-being of |
1997. | children. (#5) |
|_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"How do you fix a system if the kids aren't attending?"
Robert Furek, chairman of the Hartford board of trustees.
(#1)
_______________________________________________________________
| (c) by the Education Policy Network, Inc. |
| 1255 22nd Street NW; Washington, D.C. 20010; 202/632-0952 |
| EPN, Inc. hereby authorizes further reproduction and |
| distribution with proper acknowledgement. |
| Publisher: Barbara A. Pape |
|_______________________________________________________________|
============== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==============
GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION
TROUBLING TRUANCY: Absenteeism soars in Connecticut. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
LOOKING GOOD: But more work is needed. (#2)
NEW STANDARDS FOR TEXAS: Maybe. (#3)
GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS
CHILL OUT: L.A. program helps students control anger. (#4)
TAKING STOCK
AMERICA'S CHILDREN: A status report. (#5)
NEWS UPDATES
NEWS BRIEFS: Homeschools and Hartford. (#6)
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===== GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 TROUBLING TRUANCY: ABSENTEEISM SOARS IN CONNECTICUT
Chronic truancy plagues many Conn. schools, according to the
Hartford COURANT (Green, 6/22). Educators point out that truancy
is but the tip of the iceberg: The underlying problems are
poverty, homelessness and lack of parental control.
"Kids are living in a very stressful time," said Steve
Linder, supervisor of dropout prevention for the New Haven public
schools. "They don't really see the relevance of school. There
is a lot of peer pressure. There is a culture that lacks a value
for education."
In Hartford this year, about 17% of high school students
have missed more than six weeks of school, writes the paper.
Thirty percent of all high school students have missed 20 or more
days. According to the paper, truancy is perhaps the "biggest
challenge" facing the new state-appointed trustees charged with
overhauling the school system.
"How do you fix a system if the kids aren't attending?"
queried Robert Furek, chairman of the Hartford board of trustees.
"It is extremely important. It starts simply at the first day of
school."
Yet, attendance on the first day of school traditionally has
been a disaster for Hartford. From the paper: "Nearly 6,000
students failed to show up last September, a quarter of the
school population." The paper also notes that kindergarten
classes in Bridgeport had a less than 90% attendance rate.
"That's an issue of parenting skills," observed Superintendent of
Schools James Conelly.
Unlike Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven schools send
truant officers out weekly to look for students who should be in
school. The officers bring students back to the classroom. New
Haven has nine truant officers and eight dropout prevention
workers on staff. The city also boasts a "truancy court," where
a Superior Court judge hears cases of chronic truants. The
judge's decisions are based on getting the student back in
school, in counseling or in an alternative program, writes the
paper.
The Conn. legislature several years ago toughened truancy
laws by requiring schools to take greater action against parents
whose children are chronically truant. A parent who fails to get
their child to school eventually can be fined or charged with
abuse and neglect.
Bloomfield Superintendent Paul Copes put in place a ruling
that denies credit to high school students with 10 or more
absences that are unexcused. "In our society, we have
transmitted to the kids that there are no absolutes," he said.
"Clearly we have got to demonstrate to kids that there are
standards and there are consequences." The paper reports that
Coles puts the blame for higher truancy rates to a "general
permissiveness in our society, a lack of respect for authority
and a failure on the part of those of us who are in charge to
hold people accountable."
Coles: "We've got to be flexible, but up to a point. We do
a disservice to youngsters when we are so flexible that the kid
gets the wrong message."
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*2 LOOKING GOOD: BUT MORE WORK IS NEEDED
The BOSTON HERALD writes that Boston's five-year school-
reform initiative is beginning to show results, especially for
elementary and middle school students (Sullivan, 6/19). Results
from the Stanford 9 Achievement Test show "marked improvement" in
math and reading for students below 9th-grade, writes the paper.
"In terms of goals of working toward progress, we can see
some," said Superintendent Thomas Payzant. "At the middle school
level, we're there ... We've got some work to do at the high
school level."
According to the paper, more than 75% of grade-school
students tested scored higher than proficiency level 1 ("little
if any mastery") in reading, with more than 80% of middle school
students surpassing that level.
However, only 58% of 11th graders scored above level 1 in
reading. High school students fared worse in math, notes the
paper. The HERALD: "While more than three-fourths of third-
graders achieved levels 2-4 [in math], the number decreased with
eery grade above that." Fewer than 21% of 11th-grade students
achieved those levels. "The higher you go in school, the more
you have to rely on a good base and foundation from the early
years," explained Payzant.
The scores also showed a gap between white and minority
students, writes the paper. Twenty-nine percent of white
students and 19% of Asian students scored at levels 3 and 4,
which denotes solid to superior performance, in math. Only 1% of
blacks and 2% of Hispanics achieved level 3 and none reached
level 4.
Payzant and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D) expressed concern
over the achievement gap. "Those are some of the things we have
to address," said Menino. "It's slow but steady progress. We're
in it for the long haul and not just for today."
Massachusetts Board of Education Chairman John Silber
pointed out that this is only the second year of testing and of
Payzant's term as superintendent. "When you start a reform, it
moves very slowly," said Silber. "What I think these results do
show is there is a long way to go and that the citizens of Boston
have to recognize that they must not waiver in their commitment
to school improvement."
*3 NEW STANDARDS FOR TEXAS: MAYBE
By a 9-6 vote, the Texas State Board of Education voted last
week in favor of new curriculum standards (Stutz, THE DALLAS
MORNING NEWS, 7/12). However, the fate of the new standards is
in jeopardy. The six board members voting against the standards,
who are affiliated with the religious right, have vowed to take
the issue to court, writes the paper.
The standards provide a framework for what students should
know and be able to do in English, math, science, social studies,
health education, physical education, Spanish and economics.
Opponents of the standards complain that the framework is too
vague and would not bring higher student achievement. The paper
notes that in the past these board members have complained of
"alleged involvement of the federal government and a national
research group in drafting the plan."
The final vote came after board Chairman Jack Christie ended
a "long series of amendments by opponents of the plan," writes
the paper. Christie said the amendments were simply desultory
tactics. "It was just political maneuvering, and that is out of
place on this board," said Christie. He added: "They have had
three years to make these changes. To wait until the last hour
to challenge the three years of work [on TEKS] is political. It
is time to move on."
However, board member Donna Ballard, a standards opponent,
countered that the state lost the opportunity to lead the nation
in curriculum reform. She also accused Christie of violating
board rules. Ballard expressed interest in taking the matter to
the courts.
Gov. George Bush (R) and state Education Commissioner Mike
Moses have endorsed the standards.
===== GOAL SEVEN: SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS =====
*4 CHILL OUT: L.A. PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS CONTROL ANGER
The L.A. TIMES reports on a program designed to help
students control their anger and in the process become better
students (Pyle, 7/20). Called "Chill Out," the program is in
operation at Nimitz Middle School.
Clinical psychologist Floyd McGregor developed the anger-
management program five years ago when he did an internship at
the school. "Kids were fighting, they were missing classes ...
getting kicked out of school," he said. "I started thinking.
'If we can reduce anger, we can reduce fighting.'"
Students who had embarked on a "painful series of mistakes
and missteps" are assigned to the three-month program. They
spend a full class period once a week meeting with McGregor, who
explains and discusses with them the roots of anger. The
students then are taught several strategies for controlling their
temper, including counting backwards from 10.
From the paper: "Although L.A. Unified offers hundreds of
similar therapy programs for students touching on the broader
issue of resolving conflicts, district administrators say "Chill
Out" is the only one focused specifically on anger."
"There were some students we were missing with all the other
program we have," said Assistant Principal Alvin Glass. "This
was broken down into a series of things you could do every time
it happened; that seemed to be a hook for a lot of students.
They were able to buy into it and be helped." However, Glass
cautioned that educators should not expect angels to emerge from
the program. Instead, she noted that "we're seeing them less and
less in the office now."
"Chill Out" requires a final, oral exam. Students receive a
"Chill Out" diploma and attend a reception with their families.
==== TAKING STOCK ====
*5 AMERICA'S CHILDREN: A STATUS REPORT
A collaboration among federal agencies has produced a report
that paints a picture of the health, education, behavior and
social environment and economic security of the nation's
children. "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-
Being" uses 25 indicators to assess the status of children.
"For the first time, the Federal government, paralleling to
a degree the way it reports on the nation's economic status, is
taking a composite look at how our nation's children are faring,"
said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development. "The report provides a
valuable tool for tracking the condition of children and can help
inform policy decision that will affect them."
Indicators were chosen that "measure critical aspects of
children's lives and are collected rigorously and regularly by
Federal agencies," notes a Federal Interagency Forum on Child and
Family Statistics press release (7/2). They include: child
poverty, infant mortality, alcohol and substance abuse, math and
reading proficiency and family reading to young children.
For example, the report found that as a mother's education
increases, so does the likelihood that her 3- to 5-year-old child
is read to every day. From the report: "In 1996, more than
three-quarters of children whose mothers were college graduates
were read aloud to every day. In comparison, daily reading aloud
occurred with 62% of children whose mothers had some college
experience, 49% percent whose mothers had completed high school
but had no education beyond that, and 37% whose mothers had not
completed high school." The report also found that white
children are more likely to be read aloud to every day than
either black or Hispanic children, and children living with two
parents are more likely to be read aloud to every day than are
children who live with one or no parent.
Other indicators in the education section include:
"Difficulty Speaking English," Early Childhood Education," "Math
and Reading Proficiency," "High School Completion," "Detached
Youth," and "Higher Education."
The report recommends the development of additional
indicators in early childhood development, noting that "there is
no regular source of information that can be used to monitor
specific social, intellectual, and emotional skills or
preschoolers over time." It also notes that while there are
several different indicators of course-taking, "there is a lack
of consensus about what courses are predictive of better life
chances in the future, hence about what are the most important
courses to monitor over time."
Overall, the report detected positive tends in the overall
health and education of the nation's children. However, several
areas showed decline: the use of illicit drugs, cigarette
smoking among adolescents and children, particularly black males,
becoming crime victims.
For more information, contact the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development; 301/496-5133. Copies of the
full report can be obtained from the National Maternal and Child
Health Bureau Clearinghouse; 703/356-1964 OR at the National
Center for Health Statistics web site:
www.cdc.gov/nchswww/nchshome.htm
==== NEWS UPDATES ====
*6 NEWS BRIEFS: HOMESCHOOLS AND HARTFORD
WALTHAM, MASS.: Kim Engler and her husband George Brynat
are testing the Mass. state constitution as they challenge state
queries into their homeschooling methods (Hart, BOSTON GLOBE,
7/11). The couple's nine-year-old son and seven-year-old
daughter have never been to school, with their mother teaching
them at home. When the city requested that the children be
tested and that the family provide the district with progress
reports, Engler and Bryant refused -- to the point of not
providing the names of their children to school officials.
According to the paper, the Waltham solicitor's office has
filed a care and protection petition against the couple in the
juvenile session of Waltham District Court. The state also has
filed a civil action against Engler and Bryant, "asking that they
be forced to provide the information the School Department wants,
or send the children to school," reports the paper. A trial date
is set for 22 July.
Engler and Bryant counter that the state does not have the
authority to "pry" into their educational methods, notes the
paper. Engler added that the curriculum she gave to the school
department, which officials said was not adequate, is all
required in Mass. "The Massachusetts Constitution calls for
encouraging an interest in science and literature, which we
believe schools are not doing."
Some home-school advocates state that the couple has gone
overboard in their defense of home-schooling. "I support their
right to home-school, but I don't support their total rejection
of the state's right to regulate schooling," said Patrick
Farenga, a home-school advocate and president of Holt Associates
in Cambridge.
HARTFORD, CONN: A panel of educators refused to dismiss an
earlier decision that recommended the loss of accreditation for
Hartford Public High School (Hamilton, Hartford COURANT, 7/11).
According to the paper, the appeal was the third attempt to
reverse the recommendation made after educators visited the high
school in October in 1996 and made their report to the New
England Association for Schools & Colleges, the accrediting
agency.
Hartford schools have been taken over by the state.
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
90 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 |
|_______________________________________________________________|