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--- Wednesday --- July 30, 1997 --- Vol. 1 --- No. 12 ---
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
NEGP Weekly
THE UPDATE ON AMERICA'S NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS
__________ __________
SUMMER VACATION | SPOTLIGHT |
A reminder!! This is the | |
last NEGP Weekly or DAILY | SOMETHING'S ROTTEN |
REPORT CARD for the summer. We | |
will be back on Wednesday, 3 | Just as Marcellus |
September. Enjoy the rest of | observed that "something's |
your summer. | rotten in the state of |
| Denmark," so too have some |
NEW FOR NEGP | education officials sniffed |
The National Education Goals | the fowl state of many |
Panel is launching a monthly | teacher-prep programs. A |
report -- the NEGP Monthly -- | foundation grant is helping |
that will be available at its | several Ark. universities |
web site: www.negp.gov | revamp their colleges of |
The first installment, | education. (#5) |
already posted, features a | |
paper commissioned by the NEGP | Heralded as one of the |
by education writer and | best reform efforts is |
consultant Harriet Tyson, | Ark.'s Lyon College. Its |
called "Overcoming Structural | approach: cut back on |
Barriers to Good Textbooks." | methods classes, require |
Upcoming topics include | students to choose a |
teaching for high standards, | liberal arts/science major; |
state efforts to improve math | and include a year-long |
and science instruction, | internship program. |
standards-based systemic reform | |
and an examination of various | The stench associated |
indicators that lead to | with schools producing high |
achievement of the National | numbers of low-achieving |
Education Goals. | students may linger -- |
The NEGP Monthly will explore | despite the standards |
in detail the various topics by | movement -- if teachers are |
providing a review of the | not prepared to teach to a |
issue, case studies, a | higher level. |
bibliography and resource list. |_____________________________|
============== QUOTE OF THE DAY ==============
"There was something wrong in teaching teachers, and we needed to
create new models in the state."
Mark Wood, a spokesman for Ark.'s Lyon College, on his school's
attempt to reform teacher-prepartion programs. (#5)
_______________________________________________________________
| (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
TUTORING CENTERS: Network grows in Massachusetts. (#1)
GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP
NO EASY ANSWERS: Keeping teen parents in school. (#2)
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: Watchdog for standards. (#3)
ARTS EDUCATION: An endangered species? (#4)
GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
TEACHING TEACHERS: Changes afoot in Arkansas. (#5)
GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
SCIENCE RULES: New SAT biology test. (#6)
NEWS UPDATES
NEWS BRIEFS: Charters, Title I, technology. (#7)
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===== GOAL TWO: HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION =====
*1 TUTORING CENTERS: NETWORK GROWS IN MASSACHUSETTS
The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Fleet Bank opened
the doors to the first in a network of 25 after-school tutoring
centers planned for Boston and surrounding communities (Hart,
BOSTON GLOBE, 7/10). Neighborhood children in Dorchester now
will be able to do homework, engage in arts and crafts and play
sports in a safe environment, writes the paper.
"The future of our country depends upon our working together
to provide support services to the more than 2 million at-risk
youth," said Marian Heard, United Way's president.
Fleet Bank will contribute $500,000 to renovate buildings
and purchase computers for the centers, reports the paper. The
centers also will offer computer training, mentoring and parent
education. Youth centers interested in joining the network must
apply to the United Way. Seven centers are expected to be open
this fall, with the rest to open their doors by the end of 1999.
Half of the centers have been selected.
*2 NO EASY ANSWERS: KEEPING TEEN PARENTS IN SCHOOL
A study of an Ohio welfare program that tries to keep teen
parents on welfare in school has found limited success (Vobejda,
WASH POST, 7/24). The program, Learning, Earning and Parenting
(LEAP) began in 1989 and pays teen parents an extra $62 a month
if they attend school regularly. Their welfare payments are cut
by $62 if they drop out or are frequently truant, notes the
paper. LEAP also provides transportation, child care and
counseling.
While LEAP has been cited by President Clinton as a model
program, the study conducted by the New York-based Manpower
Demonstration Research Corp. revealed that the program did not
help teens "who need help the most: high school drop outs,"
writes the paper. Graduation and employment rates did not
increase for teenagers who had already dropped out of school when
they enrolled in LEAP, notes the study. Judith Gueron, president
of Manpower: "[It] reminds us that there are no easy answers.
... Overall, too many teenagers returned to school only to leave
again without getting a diploma. And too many remained on
welfare and not employed."
Phyllis Brown, who manages LEAP for Hamilton County, Ohio,
pointed out that $62 is not much of an incentive for teen mothers
whose boyfriends or parents often make up the difference. "A $62
decrease in their check does not make that much difference to
them," she said.
Leonard Tetlak, who manages the LEAP program in Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, highlighted the importance "to do things to get to
teens as soon as possible after they have a child to help them
avoid dropping out of school," which means offering them day
care, transportation and other services. The study found that
teen parents who were in school when they enrolled in LEAP were
more likely to receive equivalency certificates, writes the
paper.
The POST points out that Ohio's experience is particularly
noteworthy given the federal government's new welfare law.
According to the paper, the federal law denies welfare payments
to teen parents who are not in school.
The Manpower study monitored more than 4,000 teenagers in 12
counties for four years after they enrolled in LEAP, reports the
paper.
===== GOAL THREE: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND CITIZENSHIP =====
*3 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS: WATCHDOG FOR STANDARDS
The American Federation of Teachers this week released its
annual report, "Making Standards Matter," which gives a state-by-
state report on the quality of academic standards. "States are
firmly committed to raising their academic standards, and many
are making good progress," said AFT President Sandra Feldman.
"They're working hard to create standards that will really
challenge students. In most states, however, there's still a big
gap: making the standards count for students and making sure
that students who need extra help are getting it."
Feldman added that many states refuse to "link consequences
for students -- like promotion or graduation -- to their
standards."
The report, begun in 1995, uses five criteria to assess
standards: whether standards are grounded in the core academic
subjects; whether they are clear and specific enough to provide
the basis for a common curriculum; whether the state will have
assessments to measure achievement of the standards; whether
standards have consequences for students attached to meeting
them; and whether low-performing students will be given extra
academic help.
Findings from the report include: The quality of state
standards is improving, but more work is needed in most states;
more states want to make sure their standards are world-class,
but they do not have the resources to benchmark their standards
against exemplary international standards; more states plan to
assess whether or not students are meeting standards; and most
states still fail to require students to meet standards as a
basis for promotion or graduation.
According to the AFT, eight states significantly improved
their academic standards in two or more subjects over the year:
Calif., Ill., Mass., N.V., Ore., Pa., W.V., and Wis. "The trends
are all in the right direction, and we hope this progress
continues," commented Feldman.
Recommendations made by the AFT include: states should
ensure their standards are rigorous and internationally
competitive; states should establish plans for phasing in
incentives and consequences in order to make students take them
seriously; and states must provide extra help to students who are
not meeting the standards.
"Making Standards Matter" is available for $10 prepaid from
the AFT Order Department; 555 New Jersey Avenue NW; Washington,
D.C. 20001; 202/879-4400. The report also will be posted on the
AFT's Web site at www.aft.org.
*4 ARTS EDUCATION: AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has launched the Arts
Education Initiative, an "unprecedented collaboration" with the
Los Angeles Unified School District, four area universities and
eight art museums (Los Angeles County Museum of Art press
release, 7/18). The initiative's goal is to weave arts back into
public education in Southern California.
Andrea Rich, LACMA president and chief executive officer:
"The arts are an essential resource for teaching concepts that
are most valued in our society -- creativity and innovation."
However, Rich noted that since the passage of Proposition 13 in
1978, arts education has "virtually disappeared from L.A.
schools."
The initiative includes several components:
Teacher Academy -- a collaboration among LACMA, the Los
Angeles Unified School District, UCLA, USC, UC at Irvine and Cal
Arts. Teacher Academy is designed to bring an experimental
course of arts education instruction to K-12 teachers, teaching
assistants and teachers-in-training. The goal is to incorporate
arts into the curriculum.
Experimental Gallery -- will be used to present the museum's
collections from new perspectives, possibly organized by theme,
medium or cultural context to gauge ways of making the experience
of viewing art more meaningful for audiences of different
backgrounds or generations.
The Maya Mobile -- a moving museum and classroom aboard a
48-foot trailer truck. The truck will travel to sixth-grade
classes throughout the school district. The interior of the
truck will be designed as a site of a Mayan ruin. The program
includes in-class curriculum about Mayan culture, followed by a
visit aboard the Maya Mobile, where students will be able to
create an art project based on what they have learned about Mayan
culture.
Community and Museum Partners Programs -- a partnership of
museums will offer a broad range of thematic workshops and events
at cultural and social service centers throughout Southern
California.
Internships -- the initiative will develop an arts
internship for high school, college and graduate students.
Interactive Technology -- the initiative eventually will use
technology to extend the reach of its programs.
For more information, contact the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art; 59065 Wilshire Boulevard; Los Angeles, Calif. 90036;
213/857-6000
Other museums involved in the initiative include:
California African American Museum; Japanese American National
Museum; Korean American Museum; Latino Museum of History, Art and
Culture; Pacific Asia Museum; Plaza de la Raza; the Kirball
Museum; and the Southwest Museum.
The Philadelphia INQUIRER reports on the Arts in Education's
summer seminar (Pray, 7/21). Modeled after a 20-year-old
initiative of the Lincoln Center Institute in New York,
Philadelphia's program features a two-week summer seminar for
teachers. During the summer session, teachers participate in
morning workshops and lectures. Afternoons are spent viewing
live performances and visiting museums.
According to the paper, artists, actors, dancers and
musicians who serve as summer instructors, visit classrooms to
work with teachers and students during the school year.
"Many people regard the arts as a frill," said Shelly
Dorfman, the program's founder and a former Philadelphia public
school teacher. "Many parents say, 'We only want the basics.'
We believe that one of the basics should be the arts."
This summer, 150 teachers from 50 schools attended the
summer workshop.
===== GOAL FOUR: TEACHER ED/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT =====
*5 TEACHING TEACHERS: CHANGES AFOOT IN ARKANSAS
A grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has allowed
several Ark. universities' colleges of education to revamp their
teacher preparation programs (Reinolds, Arkansas DEMOCRAT-
GAZETTE, 7/21). "There was something wrong in teaching teachers,
and we needed to create new models in the state," explained Mark
Wood, a spokesman for Lyon College.
DUring the last four years, Lyon College, located in
Batesville, has instituted several changes in its elementary
education program. First, it cut elementary education courses
from 70 to 80 hours down to 28 hours. Students now are required
to major in one of the liberal arts or science subjects.
School officials also ended the 12-week internship program.
In its place is a year-long internship, which requires student-
teachers to work in a classroom with a mentor teacher.
Gradually, the student-teacher takes over the class, writes the
paper. Ed Crowe, associate director at the state Department of
Higher Education, likens the new format with residency
requirements of medical students, in which the student-doctors
"learn first-hand how to be doctors by treating patients," writes
the paper. The internship has encouraged college faculty to form
partnerships with local schools.
Lyon administrators also toughened admission guidelines for
applicants to the college of education. Future teachers are now
required to maintain a 3.0 grade-point-average and earn a passing
score on the teacher pre-professional test. The paper notes that
juniors are evaluated by a group of public school officials,
college professors, and business representatives.
While some educators may criticize the de-emphasis of method
courses, George Stone, director of the Lyon teacher education
program, stands by his school's decision for students to focus on
a liberal arts background. "They need to know the subject
matter," he said.
Lyon's new education program is deemed a success by college
officials. According to the paper, this year's class scored in
the 93rd percentile on the national teacher's exam. Stone:
"What we're trying to do is to find those people who are very
bright, who have a solid liberal education and have a very strong
desire to teach children and we think we're doing it."
In 1992, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation awarded nine
grants for its "Break the Mold" program for teacher education
reform. Colleges and universities receiving the funds include:
Lyon; the U of Arkansas, Fayetteville; U of Arkansas at Little
Rock; Arkansas State U; U of Central Arkansas; U of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff; Arkansas Tech U; Henderson State U and JOhn Brown U.
The program ends in 1998, but the schools are required to
continue the reforms, reports the paper.
===== GOAL FIVE: MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE =====
*6 SCIENCE RULES: NEW SAT BIOLOGY TEST
A new SAT II subject test in biology has been released by
the College Board. The test reflects "sweeping changes in high
school biology curricula, and an emphasis on applied reasoning
skills," writes a College Board press release (7/97).
"The new exam responds to the continually expanding biology
curriculum in American high schools -- particularly the dual
emphasis on ecological and molecular approaches," said Donald
Stewart, president of the College Board. "Although we have
offered a biology exam for several years, the new test reflects
shifts in the teaching of biology, with greater emphasis on
fundamental concepts, rather than just collections of facts."
Students can choose between the SAT II: Biology E, an
ecological emphasis, or Biology M, with a basis in molecular
biology. The test contains 80 questions, 60 of which are common
to both forms of the test
According to the release, the test is the result of 18
months of research and test development by a group of high school
and college biology educators led by J. Jose Bonner of Indiana U.
Bonner: "This new test will put a greater focus on
scientific reasoning and less on memorization of facts. The
questions will allow students to analyze and interpret data from
hypothetical experiments, and they represent a whole new effort
to measure how students will apply the subject matter to concrete
situations."
Changes in the test have been endorsed by Bruce Alberts,
president of the National Academy of Science.
For more information, visit the College Board's web site at
www.collegeboard.org
==== NEWS UPDATES ====
*7 NEWS BRIEFS: TITLE I AND SCIENTIOLOGY
AGOSTINI v. FELTON -- The U.S. DoEd has prepared guidelines
based on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Agostini v.
Felton, which held that supplementary instructional services
under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (Title I) may be provided in religious schools without
violating the Establishment Cause fo the First AMendment. The
decision overruled a 1985 Supreme Court decision in Aguilar v.
Felton.
The guidelines soon will ba available at the DoEd's web
site: www.ed.gov/ The Supreme Court's ruling can be found at
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/htm/96-552.ZS.html
SCIENTOLOGY AND CHARTERS -- Linda Smith, organizer of an
East Sand Fernando Valley charter school and a scientologist, is
at the center of a debate among Los Angeles Unified School
District officials who are concerned whether church teachings
will pervade her public charter schools (Helfand, L.A. TIMES,
7/24).
Supporters of the Northwest Charter School "scknowledge that
they want to employ teaching methods developed by Scientology
founder L. Ron Hubbard," reports the paepr. However, they point
out that the teaching materials, called Hubbard Study Technology,
are devoid of religious notions. "Scientology is a religioun.
THis is Hubbard Study Technology. It has nothing to do with
religion," Smith told the TIMES.
School board members are reviewing the charter school
proposal this week.
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 |
|_______________________________________________________________|
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org